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Iran looking for ways to get sanctions lifted: Pezeshkian
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry premises to honor and introduce the new foreign minister.
“The actions of enemies against our country are cruel. We adhered to our commitments and they must stick to their commitments,” Pezeshkian said.
He said that strengthening and developing relations with neighbors is one of the government’s priorities.
“Connections and development of relations [with neighbors] make sanctions ineffective,” the president added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also made brief remarks.
“The most important priorities of his ministry are opening the way and removing obstacles in the economic field, the honor and pride of Iran and Iranians in all fields, as well as securing national interests and helping the country’s national security,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the new president and other members of his cabinet met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, where he said that maintaining national unity and keeping people happy with the government policies is the best way to defeat the oppressive US and EU sanctions.
On Friday, Araghchi said the government was given a mission by the Leader to neutralize illegal sanctions and their possible impacts on the Iranian nation.
“Our foreign policy will be active and not passive. We’ll try to be present on international forums. If a new order is being formed, we should not be passive. We must play a role for our interests, for the region and the Islamic world,” said the foreign minister, a former nuclear negotiator.
The new Iranian foreign minister added, “Our priority is our neighbors. Our second priority is to expand the field of diplomacy to Africa and East Asia. The third priority is the countries that stood by Iran in difficult situations.”
Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for “engagement” with the US in his first meeting with the administration of Pezeshkian.
“There is no barrier to engage with the enemy,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “But you should not pin hopes on the enemy and trust it,” the Leader added.
Iran has long been at loggerheads with the US over a series of issues including Tehran’s nuclear program. But tensions began to mount after the US in 2018 walked out of an international deal between Iran and world powers that eased sanctions in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear work.
Then-US president Donald Trump reimposed and reinforced sanctions on the Islamic Republic under its so-called “maximum pressure” campaign.
Talks to revive the tattered nuclear deal, known as the JCPOIA, during the tenure of US President Joe Biden failed.