RNA - "In my view, the meeting had an important message to the world's economy and today we are also assured that certainly the world will not stand beside the US to pressure Iran and they are even standing against the US," Zarif said on Friday.
He voiced confidence that the nuclear deal will survive and the G4+1 countries (France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany) will support their companies in cooperation with Iran and are ready to facilitate banking interactions.
"We can honorably continue the path towards progress in Iranian economy by relying on the internal power and using the international capacities," Zarif said.
Before attending the Vienna meeting, Zarif had called on the European Union (EU) and E3+2 (UK, France, Germany plus Russia and China) to show verifiable and practical commitment to save the nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers in 2015.
"In Vienna for JCPOA Ministerial Meeting; my mandate is crystal clear: Forge practical solutions, Expecting EU/E3+2 counterparts to make verifiable and actionable commitments rather than lofty & obscure promises. Make no mistake: Sanctions and JCPOA compliance are mutually exclusive," Zarif wrote on his twitter page on Friday.
The Iranian foreign minister met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on Friday morning in Vienna's Palais Coburg Hotel, hours before the start of another meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission with the presence of foreign ministers of 5 countries (UK, France, Russia, China and Germany).
Zarif left for Vienna late Thursday to take part in the meeting of foreign ministers of JCPOA members.
It was the second meeting after US unilateral exit from JCPOA to discuss EU’s economic proposal with the aim of ensuring Iran’s economic and commercial interests in the absence of US from the international pact.
Expert meeting of Iran and 4+1 Group was held late Thursday.
According to Fars News Agancy, US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that the US would no longer remain part of the JCPOA (the nuclear deal) and promised to re-impose the highest level of economic sanctions against Iran in response to Tehran's development of its nuclear program.
After Trump's declaration, the Iranian government issued a statement, calling the US withdrawal as "unlawful". The statement underlined Iran's prerequisites for continuing the deal with the five world powers after the US pullout of the agreement.
"Iran, as a country that has remained committed to its legal obligations, will pursue the US Government’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA as provided by the mechanisms and provisions of the accord, and if the US withdrawal is not fully compensated and the full interests of the Iranian people are not met and guaranteed – as stated in the accord and as outlined by Iran’s Leader on 9 May – it will exercise its legal right to take whatever reciprocal measures it deems expedient. Other parties to the JCPOA, and especially its three European signatories, must take necessary action to safeguard the accord and to implement their commitments – which they proved incapable of fully performing even while the US was nominally a party to the deal, due to the obstructions by the Trump Administration – and to proceed from giving pledges to taking practical action without any preconditions," it said.
"None of the provisions or timeframes within the JCPOA, which were the subject of twelve years of negotiations, are negotiable in any manner. The US, which has through its meddling and erroneous policies ignited extremism, terrorism, destruction, war and child killing in our region, is in no position to issue any diktat about the Islamic Republic of Iran’s lawful presence within its own region nor its effective support for the peoples of Syria and Iraq in their endeavor to fight extremists. The US and its allies, which through their support for the regime of Saddam Hussein, including equipping it with chemical weapons and the most advanced military equipment while blocking Iran’s access to any means of defense victimized the Iranian people for eight years, and currently turning our region into a powder keg through their sale of hundreds of billions of dollars of useless advanced weaponry devouring the financial resources of the region, are in no position to impose restrictions on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s lawful means of defense, including defensive ballistic missiles which have been designed to carry conventional weapons based on the bitter experiences of the war with the regime of Saddam Hussein. Indeed, such efforts explicitly violate the principles of international law, and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s legitimate right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," it added.
"As announced by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 8 May, the Foreign Minister has been tasked with the duty of taking the necessary measures to obtain required guarantees from the remaining parties to the JCPOA as well as Iran’s other economic partners, and to immediately report the results of this mission. Meanwhile, the President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been tasked with taking all necessary steps in preparation for Iran to pursue industrial-scale enrichment without any restrictions, using the results of the latest research and development of Iran’s brave nuclear scientists."
"The people of Iran will with calm and confidence continue their path towards progress and development and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has foreseen all necessary measures to facilitate this under any circumstances," the statement continued.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a secure and powerful state, which derives its security and economic development from within, relying on the prudent participation and resilience of its brave and civilized people, seeks constructive and dignified engagement with the world, and as shown by its implementation of the JCPOA despite the United States’ continuous violations, is a trustworthy and committed partner for all who are prepared to cooperate on the basis of shared interests and mutual respect," it reiterated.
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