WANA (Feb 26) – Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Iran may hold another meeting with officials from the three European countries within the next three weeks.

 

Regarding his recent consultations with European officials in Geneva, Gharibabadi stated: “This round of discussions with the European representatives was a continuation of the previous three rounds held in Geneva and New York. We have agreed to maintain our communications, as the matter at hand is of great importance. The discussions revolve around the lifting of sanctions, the nuclear issue, and the expectations of both sides.”

 

He emphasized, “Following the Supreme Leader’s directive on negotiations with the United States, this has become a fundamental policy that we must all pursue. Naturally, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always rejected negotiations under sanctions and pressure, and this time, too, we must firmly uphold this stance.”

 

The deputy foreign minister clarified, “This does not mean that we will not engage in talks with other countries, including European nations. That is why, on the sidelines of Dr. Araghchi’s trip to Geneva—where he participated in the Disarmament Conference and the Human Rights Council—I held a meeting with the political directors of the three European countries.”

 

He continued, “During this meeting, we made two to three key decisions. First, we agreed to continue our discussions at a more technical and specialized level, and we will likely meet again within the next three weeks while our experts further examine the issues.”

 

Gharibabadi added, “The second point is that all four parties emphasized the need to pursue a negotiated solution to the matters of mutual interest and to reach some form of understanding and outcome. However, we must not tie all issues to the demands of a party that has consistently been disruptive in negotiations.”

 

Reaffirming Iran’s commitment to diplomatic efforts, the deputy minister stated, “It is the duty of the Foreign Ministry to explore various solutions within the framework of the country’s fundamental policies. However, our efforts are not solely limited to talks with European parties; we are also pursuing other initiatives.”

 

Gharibabadi stressed, “We do not align our policies with the positions of other countries; rather, we pursue our own national interests. If we identify an opportunity for engagement with any country or group of countries, we will naturally plan accordingly and pursue our interests.”

 

He concluded, “Our negotiations with any country or group of countries are based on Iran’s national interests and security. If more opportunities and capacities become available in this framework, we will certainly take advantage of them. However, we do not place all our hopes and expectations in one basket, assuming that there might be a rift between Europe and the United States. We always prepare for the worst-case scenarios.”