Iran Stresses Need For Global Cooperation In Fighting Terrorism

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned of the threats posed by the DaeshTakfiri terrorist group as well as extremism and violence, urging a collective effort to battle the menaces.

Countering these evil scourges requires global determination and cooperation among different countries, Zarif said in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

He said Iran has always played an instrumental and constructive role in regional developments and sought to safeguard the security of the region.

Commenting on the recent agreement reached between Iran and six world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program, Zarif said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has “in a balanced and even manner” fulfilled the demands of the two sides.

The JCPOA has had and will have “constructive effects on regional developments by promoting the approach of negotiations and cooperation and the option of diplomacy over war and instability,” the senior Iranian official said. 

Zarif also conveyed the greetings of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to the Indian premier and invited him to pay an official visit to the Islamic Republic.

The Indian prime minister, for his part, called for further Tehran-New Delhi consultations on the promotion of peace and stability in the region.

He also pointed to deep-rooted and extensive ties between Iran and India and hoped for the further development of political and economic ties between the two countries.

Modi, for his part, also expressed his country’s readiness to cooperate with Iran in implementing economic projects, including the development of Iran’s southern port of Chabahar.

Zarif is in India on the last leg of his regional tour which has taken him to Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan. He is discussing regional issues and bilateral ties with senior Indian officials

On Friday, the Iranian foreign minister also sat down with his Indian counterpart SushmaSwaraj as well as NitinGadkari, the minister for roads, transport and highways.

He is also scheduled to attend a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi before leaving for Tehran.

Iran urges political solution to Yemen conflict

On the other hand, Iran has renewed calls for an immediate halt to the Saudi military campaign against Yemen, saying political dialog is the only way out of the conflict in the violence-wracked Arab state.

In a Friday phone conversation with UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail OuldCheikh Ahmed, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said all sides should focus on finding a political solution to the conflict in Yemen, stressing that the use of force would certainly fail to resolve the crisis.

The Iranian diplomat emphasized the need for an immediate end to the Saudi regime’s attacks and humanitarian blockade against Yemen.

Tehran holds constant consultations with the UN representative and will do everything it can so that the negotiations between Yemeni factions in the Omani capital, Muscat, lead to fair conclusions, Amir-Abdollahian said.

Ahmed, for his part, hailed Iran’s efforts to help settle the Yemeni conflict, voicing optimism that Yemeni factions would agree on a political solution in the near future.

An agreement has been drafted, and the Yemeni groups are expected to offer their views on the text in the coming days, he said.

Saudi Arabia has been carrying out military raids against Yemen since March 26, defying international calls for a halt to its deadly military campaign, which has led to a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the impoverished state.

According to the United Nations, the conflict in Yemen has killed nearly 4,000 people, almost half of them civilians, since late March.

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