Dollar usage in bilateral trade ‘in decline’: FM Zarif

TEHRAN– Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said Washington’s use of the sanctions regime has decreased the dollar usage in bilateral trade, adding that as such, the role of the dollar has waned in the global financial system.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks at a UN session on multilateralism and JCPOA on Tuesday evening.

“The US is putting pressure on one country after another, which leads them to use their own national currency in bilateral trade, and this trend is on the rise,” Zarif added, Mehr News reported.

Talking about the possibility of a meeting with US President Trump, Zarif said taking a photo together and signing a two-page document cannot solve the problem.

“We had a 150-page document, which the current US president may not like… I know every single word of this document. I know what the US wants, what we want, and what Europe is after. Why should we start all over again?”

Zarif added that even if Iran, on the off chance, agreed to renegotiations, there was no guarantee that the next US president would remain committed to the agreement.

“The JCPOA is beneficial for the Iranian people, the international community, and the peace and security of the region,” Zarif stressed.

Talking about the EU’s promised mechanism for easing trade with Iran within the framework of a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’, Zarif said the EU efforts is not because they like Iran, but because they want to save the effectiveness of international diplomacy.

The Iranian top diplomat further stressed that the UN General Assembly could do more to support multilateralism.

M.Wassouf