Syed Zafar Mehdi
29 January 2023•Update: 29 January 2023
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran's foreign minister on Sunday said Tehran received messages from other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal through Qatar aimed at resuming the stalled talks.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks during a joint press conference in the Iranian capital with his Qatari counterpart Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
He thanked the Qatari government for its efforts in bringing all parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, back to their commitments in order to salvage the deal.
The marathon talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers remained stalled since August last year due to key disagreements between Iran and the US.
Recent protests in Iran and reports regarding Tehran's supply of drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war have exacerbated tensions between the two sides, with US officials publicly saying the nuclear talks are no longer on the agenda.
The top Qatari diplomat, for his part, said he came to Tehran carrying messages from the US, adding that it provided a "good opportunity" to solve problems that are impeding the revival of the agreement.
The two officials also discussed bilateral and regional issues, Amir-Abdollahian said, including the "development of commercial and economic cooperation" and removal of obstacles.
The Iranian foreign minister stressed that Iran has "always welcomed regional dialogue" to ensure "strong and stable" cooperation with all regional countries.
He also confirmed the exchange of messages between Iran and Bahrain "through an intermediary", while referring to "great developments" in Iran's relations with its Persian Gulf neighbors.
On tension-easing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, brokered by Iraq, the top Iranian diplomat said the new round will resume as agreed between the two sides.
On relations with Ukraine, Amir-Abdollahian said it cannot be termed "hostile", adding that the first round of talks between the two sides was held in Oman while welcoming the second round.
He also commented on drone attacks on a military complex in the central province of Isfahan on Saturday night, calling it an "attempt by Iran's enemies to destabilize the country's security".
He said the attacks were foiled, adding that it "cannot weaken Iran's will to proceed with its peaceful nuclear program", without blaming any country or group for it.
