P5+1 Must Fulfill JCPOA Obligations, Says Ravanchi
A senior Iranian diplomat says the P5+1 group of countries must completely fulfill all its obligations, particularly in the banking sector, under the nuclear agreement it reached with Iran last July.
In a meeting with Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in Bern on Friday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht-e Ravanchi said the Islamic Republic has complied with its obligations under the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia – plus Germany started implementing the JCPOA on January 16.
Under the deal, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US would be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.
However, many large European banks still refrain from engaging in transactions with Iran for fear of US penalties.
Takht-e Ravanchi also said political dialog between Tehran and Bern would prepare the ground for further expansion of cooperation, particularly in the economic sector.
The Swiss foreign minister, for his part, welcomed the growing trend of his country’s relations with Iran and said Bern is keen to make use of various opportunities created by bilateral ties and to cooperate on regional developments.
Takht-e Ravanchi is in Switzerland to hold political talks with the country’s senior officials few months after Tehran and Bern agreed on a road map for improving relations in different fields.
The roadmap was agreed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Swiss counterpart Johann Schneider-Ammann in Tehran on February 27.
“The aim is to prelaunch various dialogs between Switzerland and Iran,” Switzerland’s department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research said in a statement.
During Schneider-Ammann’s visit to Tehran, the two countries signed agreements in the fields of economy, banking cooperation, politics and culture.
Iran armed forces will not allow any aggression
On the other hand in Orumieh, West Azarbaijan, the Iranian armed forces will not allow any acts of aggression against the Islamic Republic, says General Heshmatollah Malekian Commander of the Army Ground Force’s Northwestern Base.
The armed forces are ready to make any sacrifice in defending the country borders and the Islamic establishment under the guidelines of the Commander in Chief of Iranian Armed Forces Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, General Malekian said in a local ceremony on Friday.
The commander praised the strong presence of Iranian officials on the international scene, adding that the border province of West Azarbaijan has a high degree of security.
The ground forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) earlier on Thursday break up two terrorist cells in northwestern Iran, killing 12 terrorists.
The IRGC public relations department in a statement on Thursday said that the two terrorist anti-revolutionary groups had entered the border region of Oshnavieh on Wednesday to cause instability in the country.
IRNA
R.S