RNA - “The stance [adopted by] the current US administration on the JCPOA (nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the JCPOA) conveys this message to the world that any negotiations with the US will be useless,” Zarif said in a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of the 72nd annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday.
During his speech at the General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said the internationally-negotiated nuclear agreement with Iran is an “embarrassment” to the United States.
The Republican president described the JCPOA as “the worst and most one-sided transaction the US has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign.
The Trump administration has desperately sought a pretext to scrap or weaken the 2015 deal and get rid of the limits the deal imposes on the US ability to pursue more hostile policies against Iran.
However, Washington’s European allies seek to prevent the collapse of the deal and are stepping up efforts to convince Trump not to abandon the accord.
Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, said on September 18 that the Iran deal belonged to the entire world, not just the United States.
Elsewhere in the meeting, Zarif pointed to the crisis in the Korean Peninsula and said, “We reject any production, test and development of nuclear weapons.”
“Prudence by Japan and other regional and world countries can prevent a big crisis,” the Iranian foreign minister added.
The Japanese foreign minister, for his part, threw his country’s weight behind the JCPOA and said he has informed many countries about the deal’s significance.
The top Iranian and Japanese diplomats also discussed ways to expand cooperation, particularly in banking, investment, energy and academic sectors.
Iran, Malaysia FMs agree on need to boost Muslim world unity
The Iranian foreign minister also held a meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman and exchanged views about the expansion of relations in international bodies, particularly the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Zarif and Aman stressed the importance of reinforcing unity in the Muslim world to solve the crises in Yemen, Myanmar and Syria through peaceful approaches.
Iran, Syria FMs discuss anti-terror campaign
Meanwhile, in a meeting between Zarif and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, the two sides discussed the latest developments on Syria’s political arena and the battlefield in the fight against terrorism and issues of common interest.
The Iranian foreign minister also met with his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani and Fatou Bensouda, a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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