Iranian FM Blasts US for Endangering Int'l Security by Unilateral Moves

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif lashed out at Washington for unilateral sanctions and pressures against Tehran, describing them as a threat to international peace and security.

News ID: 441282

Date: 31 October 2018 - 11:18

RNA - "The unilateral measures are not only against a country but also against the international peace and security and the rational, lawful and predictable relations among countries and these measures do not have any place in a civilized society," Zarif said in a joint press conference with his Turkish and Azeri counterparts in Istanbul on Tuesday.

He also appreciated Turkish and Azeri Foreign Ministers Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Elmar Mamedyarov for their country's support for the 2015 nuclear deal, emphasis on continued cooperation with Iran despite the US sanctions and condemnation of unilateral moves.

Zarif arrived in Istanbul on Monday to participate in the opening ceremony of Turkey's biggest airport in Istanbul.

Upon arrival in Istanbul, Zarif said his visit was aimed at the expansion of transit and economic cooperation among the three neighbors and exchanging views with counterparts.

He said the visit is an opportunity for dialogue with Azeri and Turkish officials. "In the visit there will be talks on key, specially regional, issues."

Upon arrival in Istanbul on Monday, Zarif downplayed the impacts of the US November-4 sanctions against his country, stressing that Washington's economic and political agenda against Tehran was doomed to failure.

"Nothing new is likely to happen on November 4 when the second phase of the (US) sanctions come into effect," Zarif told reporters in Istanbul before participating in a trilateral meeting with his Turkish and Azeri counterparts.

He said that the mechanisms foreseen by the EU to continue financial interactions with Iran will be implemented in the next few days, adding that it will take a while until they can be used by Tehran.

Zarif underscored that the US had a small chance to advance its economic agenda against Iran, and reiterated that "it would definitely be impossible for Washington to achieve its political objectives" with regard to Tehran.

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