Zarif Sells Hormuz Peace Endeavor as Confidence-Building Initiative to Regional Players

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
TT
20

Zarif Sells Hormuz Peace Endeavor as Confidence-Building Initiative to Regional Players

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has returned to market the initiative known as the Hormuz Peace Endeavor which was put forward by Tehran at the UN General Assembly last September.

Tehran said the initiative was for "building confidence" among countries in the region and was pitched amid international efforts to ensure the security of navigation in Gulf waters and international corridors.

According to Iranian agencies, Zarif invited regional countries to join the “confidence-building” initiative during his participation at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Doha this week.

Iran has yet to announce details of the initiative, but said it was directed to eight regional countries. The initiative comes after Zarif tried to persuade countries in the region to conclude a non-aggression agreement with Iran.

The Hormuz Peace Endeavor was put forward by the Iranian government after tensions with Washington rose.

Iranian media quoted Zarif as saying that the initiative consists of four foundations - “non-interference in the affairs of others, non-aggression, commitment to energy security, and compliance with international law.”

The US and Iran have come close to a military confrontation in June against the backdrop of military escalation in the Gulf and tensions rising between the two countries after Washington decided to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal in May 2018 and impose new economic sanctions on Iran.

Iran faces accusations from Western countries of seeking regional hegemony, through its allies in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.

Iran is also threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic crossing for world oil trade, if Washington takes military action.

Tensions remain strong, especially after Washington, Riyadh, Berlin, London and Paris accused Tehran of being responsible for the September 14 attacks on two Saudi oil facilities.

The three European countries called for a new agreement, covering regional security issues, the ballistic missile program, and the nuclear deal.



Iran Says It Will Respond to Reimposition of UN Sanctions

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
TT
20

Iran Says It Will Respond to Reimposition of UN Sanctions

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran will react to any reimposition of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program, the country's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, without elaborating on what actions Tehran might take.

A French diplomatic source told Reuters last week that European powers would have to restore UN sanctions on Iran under the so-called "snapback mechanism" if there were no nuclear deal that guaranteed European security interests.

The "snapback mechanism" is a process that would reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran under a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted the measures in return for restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.

"The threat to use the snapback mechanism lacks legal and political basis and will be met with an appropriate and proportionate response from Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference, without giving further details.

The 2015 deal with Britain, Germany, France, the US, Russia and China - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - states that if the parties cannot resolve accusations of "significant non-performance" by Iran, the "snapback mechanism" process can be triggered by the 15-member UN Security Council.

"The European parties, who are constantly trying to use this possibility as a tool, have themselves committed gross and fundamental violations of their obligations under the JCPOA," Baghaei said.

"They have failed to fulfill the duties they had undertaken under the JCPOA, so they have no legal or moral standing to resort to this mechanism."

Western countries accuse Iran of plotting to build a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies.

The United States pulled out of the deal in 2018 under the first administration of President Donald Trump, who called the agreement "weak".

Trump, whose second presidency began in January, has urged Tehran to return to nuclear negotiations on a new deal after a ceasefire was reached last month that ended a 12-day air war between Iran and Israel that destabilized the Middle East.

When asked if Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would meet with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, Baghaei said no date or location had been set for resuming the US-Iran nuclear talks.