Iran’s Foreign Minister has stated that the country is ready to sign a “real and lasting” nuclear agreement, which includes strict monitoring and limits to its uranium enrichment in exchange for withdrawal of sanctions. The statement was made by Minister Seyyed Abbas Araye, who also made a public appeal to European countries.
In one Article written for the British newspaper The GuardianAraye has asked the European nations to reconsider their plan to reactivate a series of UN sanctions by the end of the month. He warned that if this “short opportunity to change course is lost, the consequences can be destructive in an unprecedented way for the region and the rest of the world.”
The Iranian government hopes to convince Europeans to postpone the reactivation of sanctions on the United Nations Security Council (UN). Tehran’s argument is that such a measure would only benefit the United States, which would be in the leading position in the negotiations of a new agreement, while Europe would be isolated.
Despite the willingness to negotiate, there are contradictory signs within Iran itself. While Aragchi said he had progressed in conversations with UN inspectors about visiting nuclear places, the Iranian parliament, dominated by conservatives, discusses a bill that could lead the country to withdraw from nuclear non -proliferation if the sanctions are reactivated. This would cut the access of international inspectors to Iranian nuclear places.
The article in The Guardian has a function of direct criticism of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, questioning why, instead of acting as mediators between Iran and the US, they “became facilitators” than he called “excesses of America.” Araye argued that Europe makes a mistake to think that, adopting a tough stance against Iran, US President Donald Trump will see them as main actors on the world scene.
“The return of UN sanctions will only exclude the three countries of future diplomatic processes, with wide negative consequences for the whole of Europe in terms of their credibility and global position,” the minister wrote.
He also said that Trump has made it clear that he considers Europeans “secondary players,” and cited Europe’s exclusion from vital issues such as the crisis between Russia and Ukraine as proof of this Washington’s view.
Araye concluded the article with a provocation to Israel, suggesting that if the country tries to start a new war against Iran, it will have to “run to grandpa” (in reference to the US) for help. He referred to Israel’s dependence on the American military power, stating that the Armed Forces of Iran are “capable of defeating Israel to the point of being forced to resort to ‘grandpa’ for salvation.”
