Iran’s Foreign Minister Discusses Agreements with Russia

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has announced that Iran and Russia have agreed that Russia will not obstruct the signing of an agreement in the ongoing negotiations in Vienna, according to Mehr.

“We certainly want sanctions lifted, but with dignity and stability,” said the minister, adding that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has always emphasized in meetings with ministers that the focus should not solely be on Vienna but rather on ensuring that “all institutions in the country work towards neutralizing sanctions and the stable development of the economy and trade.”

“It was necessary to temporarily halt negotiations as we were very close to reaching an agreement on technical issues with three European countries,” the Iranian minister said, speaking about the Vienna negotiations.

“At the same time, we have faced the war and crisis in Ukraine. Although the Islamic Republic of Iran has expressed its disagreement at the highest levels regarding wars in Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan, or any other country, we have also opposed the imposition of unilateral sanctions,” added Amir-Abdollahian.

“Before going to Moscow, I spoke on the phone with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, and we conveyed the message from the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to our friends in Russia regarding their desire for the war to end and for negotiations to continue,” he stated.

“The West has informed us that since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the situation is such that even if we reach an agreement in Vienna, Russia will not proceed to sign that agreement. During my phone conversation with Lavrov and my visit to Moscow, we conducted very clear and transparent negotiations. Our agreement with the Russian side is that if our 'red lines' are fully adhered to, and we reach an agreement in Vienna regarding the lifting of sanctions, Russia will not obstruct the signing of the agreement,” said Iran's Foreign Minister.