Raisi Says Iran Has Right To Demand Guarantees In JCPOA Talks

Slamming European governments’ failure to honor their commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal following the US’ withdrawal from the agreement, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran has the right to request confidence-building guarantees. 

In a meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Iranian president referred to the issue of nuclear negotiations and the need to provide confidence-building guarantees, stating, “It was the Americans who withdrew from the agreement, and other European countries did not fulfil their obligations towards Iran, so Iran has the right to demand confidence-building guarantees.”

Enumerating Iran’s solutions and proposals to solve the nuclear issue as well as the issues related to Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ukraine, Raisi said, “Efforts to normalize the relations of the Zionist regime with some countries cannot bring security for this regime.”

The Iranian president described sanctions against countries as inhumane and an example of human rights violations, and added, “Sanctions on Iran are an unjust violation of the rights of 80 million Iranians and are serious examples of human rights violations.”

The president stated that the resolution of safeguards issues is one of the prerequisites for reaching an agreement on nuclear issues.

“If the safeguards issues are not resolved, what guarantee will there be that the day after the agreement, the three European countries will again propose and pursue the issuance of a resolution against the Islamic Republic of Iran? Therefore, Iran’s demands to resolve safeguard issues are completely reasonable.

“Sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran have not and will not stop us and we will continue the growth and progress of our country with strength,” he added.

The president described the solution to the problems of the Palestinians as the implementation of the Islamic Republic’s proposal to hold a referendum with the presence of all Palestinians, and said, “Just as various efforts and agreements such as Sharm el-Sheikh, Camp David and Oslo failed to secure the rights of the Palestinian people, the efforts to normalize relations of the Zionist regime with some countries cannot be a security provider for this regime, and only a fair and logical comprehensive solution can secure the rights of the Palestinians and establish peace.”

Raisi also stated that the solution to the problem of Afghanistan is to help the formation of an inclusive government with the presence of all groups and ethnic groups in this country, and the problems of Yemen can only be solved by stopping the invasion of this country and breaking the siege as a prelude to the start of Yemeni-Yemeni dialogues.

For his part, Charles Michel thanked for the opportunity to personally meet with Raisi, and said, “My telephone conversation with your Excellency inspired the approach of the European Union towards Afghanistan to find a window for dialogue.”

Michel noted that he fully agrees with the opinion of Raisi about not using the issue of human rights as a political tool, adding, “The European Union has made efforts to lay the ground for the restoration of the nuclear deal through bringing opinions closer together, and in this regard, the issue of sanctions against Iran, as one of the serious concerns of the Islamic Republic, has always been considered.”

“The European Union hopes to benefit from the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the matter of stopping the conflicts and the establishment of peace in Yemen, forming a new government and establishing stability in Iraq, establishing peace in Palestine, stopping the war in Ukraine and forming a comprehensive government in Afghanistan,” he concluded.