Tehran Denies Making Demands That Deviate From 2015 Nuclear Agreement

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)
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Tehran Denies Making Demands That Deviate From 2015 Nuclear Agreement

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian speaks during a joint press conference with Al Thani in Tehran on Wednesday. (AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday that Tehran did not raise any demands that go beyond the nuclear agreement in the indirect talks with Washington.

His comments came a week after the failure of the latest round of diplomatic efforts mediated by the European Union in Doha.

In a joint press conference in Tehran with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Abdollahian said: “We have no requirement which goes beyond the nuclear agreement -- contrary to certain claims by the American party in the media… Our request is part of the 2015 agreement.”

Al Thani, for his part, expressed Qatar’s support for “reaching a fair agreement”, taking into account the concerns of all parties, as reported by Qatar News Agency (QNA).

He added that his visit to Tehran came amid “many regional challenges,” underlining the importance of “constructive efforts by all neighboring countries to make nuclear negotiations and regional dialogue a success.

During his visit to Tehran, Al Thani also met with Ali Shamkhani, Secretary-General of Iran’s National Security Council.

“Iran has entered a new round of negotiations with the aim of reaching a strong, sustainable and reliable agreement,” Shamkhani said, as reported by Nournews, the platform of the National Security Council.

State media in Tehran reported that Al Thani and Shamkhani focused on bilateral and regional issues, the latest political and security developments, and some private matters.

Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at reviving the nuclear deal ended last week without the hoped-for progress.

Al Thani’s visit came a day after Abdollahian and the European Union’s External Affairs Commissioner, Josep Borrell, held a phone call.

Abdollahian said on Twitter: “The agreement is only possible on the basis of understanding and mutual interests. We remain ready to negotiate a strong and lasting agreement. The United States must decide whether it wants to deal or insists on sticking to its unilateral demands.”



ICC Warrants are Binding, EU Cannot Pick and Choose, Borrell Says

23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
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ICC Warrants are Binding, EU Cannot Pick and Choose, Borrell Says

23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)

European Union governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Saturday.

The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged crimes against humanity.

All EU member states are signatories to the ICC's founding treaty, called the Rome Statute.

Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.

"The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It's not optional," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.

"It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don't fulfil," he told Reuters.

The United States rejected the ICC's decision and Israel said the ICC move was antisemitic.

"Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government - (they are) being accused of antisemitism," said Borrell, whose term as EU foreign policy chief ends this month.

"I have the right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That's enough."

Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis, Gaza officials say.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Israel says it has killed Masri.