Spain Vows Efforts To Protect Economic Ties With Iran

The foreign minister of Spain said his country would do its best to preserve economic relations with Iran despite the US sanctions against Tehran.

In an interview with The Tasnim News Agency in New Delhi on Wednesday, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Josep Borrell commented about Tehran-Madrid ties and the efforts to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Mr. Borrell, 71, is among the diplomats, scholars and political figures who have gathered in India for a multilateral conference dubbed the Raisina Dialogue.

Asked about the content of his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Borrell said, “We talked about the situation and the relationship between Europe and Iran after the Americans breaking the (nuclear) deal.”

Commenting on the significance of Tehran-Madrid relations, the Spanish diplomat said, “We are very much interested in keeping the best relations with Iran. It has been a very nice meeting, and we’ll do our best to continue having economic relations despite the American decisions.”

Asked about Spain’s willingness to save the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he stressed, “Yes, it’s very important for all European countries. It is important to make the nuclear deal to be preserved, for sure.”

“It (the nuclear deal) is an important part of our security. We have been investing a lot of energy, diplomatic energy and political will, on building this agreement. That’s why we think it’s important,” Borrell noted.

Asked about the impact of US pressures on Spain’s ties with Iran, the senior diplomat said, “We know, all European countries, that their stage are in different position from us.”

EU countries led by France, Germany and Britain -signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal- want to enable non-US trade with Iran to continue in defiance of Washington.

The EU has devised the SPV to continue trade with Iran and neutralize the US sanctions against Tehran.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).