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.”



Blinken, in Brussels, Pledges to Shore up Ukraine Support Ahead of Trump Transition

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
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Blinken, in Brussels, Pledges to Shore up Ukraine Support Ahead of Trump Transition

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured NATO on Wednesday that the Biden administration would bolster its support for Ukraine in the few months before Donald Trump's return as president and would try to strengthen the alliance in that time.

Meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, Biden also said the deployment of North Korean troops to help Russia in the Ukraine war would get a "firm response".

President-elect Trump, who has questioned US military support for Ukraine, says he will quickly end Russia's war without saying how, raising concerns among U.S. allies he could try to force Kyiv to accept peace on Moscow's terms. Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.

Blinken said after meeting Rutte at the alliance’s headquarters they discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, where Russian forces have been making gains on the eastern front lines, and the work NATO must do strengthen its defense industrial base.

The outgoing US administration would "continue to shore up everything we're doing for Ukraine," he said.

"President Biden fully intends to drive through the tape and use every day to continue to do what we have done these last four years, which is strengthen this alliance," Blinken said.

The deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the conflict "demands and will get a firm response," he said.

Rutte said that "Russia has not won" in Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.

"Obviously we have to do more to make sure that Ukraine can stay in the fight and is able to roll back as much as possible the Russian onslaught and prevent (President Vladimir) Putin from being successful in Ukraine," he said.

Blinken is expected to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later, according to a State Department schedule.

He will also meet NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli, top EU officials and British foreign secretary David Lammy in Brussels on Wednesday.