Iran: No obstacle to Tehran-Washington economic cooperation
‘Tehran in contact with JCPOA signatories’
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that there has been no obstacle to economic cooperation between Iran and the US, blaming Washington for the lack of such cooperation.
During his weekly press conference on Monday, Baqaei said it is the US itself that, through complex legislation, has deprived its own citizens of investment in Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier said that Tehran has no objection to American investors doing business in Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also pointed to the issue in an article published by the Washington Post, saying that Iran is not opposed to Americans’ investment in Iran.
“There is a serious misconception that needs to be cleared up. Many in Washington portray Iran as a closed country from an economic point of view. The truth is that we are open to welcoming businesses from around the world. It is the US administrations and congressional impediments, not Iran, that have kept American enterprises away from the trillion-dollar opportunity that access to our economy represents,” Araghchi said.
“Indeed, when the United States agreed to license the sale of passenger aircraft as a part of the JCPOA (2015 nuclear agreement), Iran immediately negotiated a contract with Boeing to buy 80 planes. To say that the scope for trade and investment in Iran is unparalleled is an understatement,” Iran’s top diplomat added.
Since Saturday, Tehran and Washington have begun new negotiations to resolve a longstanding dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, which if be successful, the two countries could see a boost in their economic cooperation.
The first round of the talks were held in Oman’s capital, Muscat. The two countries described the negotiations as “positive and constructive” and agreed to resume the negotiations on Saturday.
Rome to host 2nd round of talks
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday that the second round of nuclear talks will be held in Rome.
“We received a request from the interested parties and from Oman, which is playing the role of mediator, and we have given a positive response,” Tajani was quoted by ANSA as saying at the world Expo exhibition in the Japanese city of Osaka.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expected to make a decision on Iran very quickly.
Trump, who has threatened military action if no deal is reached on Iran’s nuclear program, told reporters aboard Air Force One that he met with advisers on Iran and expected a quick decision.
“We’ll be making a decision on Iran very quickly,” he said.
Foreign Ministry’s spokesman also confirmed that Iran continued to engage with the other signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal from which the US withdrew in 2018.
“From a legal standpoint, the JCPOA (2015 nuclear agreement) is a living and existing agreement,” he said, adding that Tehran remained committed to consultations within its framework.
Araghchi to visit Russia
He announced that Araghchi is scheduled to visit Russia later this week in a trip that was planned in advance, but would also include discussions related to US-Iran talks.
In parallel, Iran has continued its European consultations, including during a recent visit by senior diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi to Europe, the official stated.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday welcomed talks but insisted Europe would be “vigilant” its security concerns were taken into account.
“We very much welcome this step, but we will be vigilant with our British and German friends and partners to ensure that any negotiations that may be undertaken are consistent with our security interests,” Barrot said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.