BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 7. Iran, following the logic of building trust, is willing to negotiate on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of unilateral sanctions imposed on the country, said Iran's Foreign Minister, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Trend reports.
Speaking at a meeting with heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Tehran on April 5, Araghchi noted that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful, and the country has voluntarily undertaken several measures within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to build trust regarding its nuclear intentions. However, the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA.
Araghchi added that Iran remains committed to dialogue and diplomacy in resolving misunderstandings and conflicts, and is ready for any possible outcome. While Iran is serious in negotiations and diplomacy, it will also be firm in defending its sovereignty and interests, he stated.
"In principle, direct discussions with countries that threaten with the use of force and adopt contradictory positions, contrary to the United Nations Charter, would be meaningless. However, Iran is ready to explore indirect discussions within the framework of diplomacy," he noted.
The Iranian minister also pointed out that Iran follows a principled policy in developing relations with neighboring countries and others around the world. He expressed hope that the new Iranian year would bring further opportunities for the development of political, economic, and cultural relations with various countries.
On January 16, 2016, the JCPOA came into force between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) regarding Iran’s nuclear program. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions on Iran starting from November 2018.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.
Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.
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