Abdollahian: Nuclear Agreement is an International Document to Cancel Sanctions

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks to Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the first Iranian Supreme Leader (Jamaran News)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks to Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the first Iranian Supreme Leader (Jamaran News)
TT

Abdollahian: Nuclear Agreement is an International Document to Cancel Sanctions

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks to Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the first Iranian Supreme Leader (Jamaran News)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks to Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the first Iranian Supreme Leader (Jamaran News)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian defended on Thursday the preservation of the nuclear negotiations, describing the deal as an “international document to cancel sanctions.”

In remarks on Thursday, Abdollahian said that his country has been exchanging indirect messages with Washington for weeks, accusing the Western parties of being “addicted to sanctions”, while the two sides are still on the diplomatic track to revive the nuclear agreement.

“While we are in the midst of indirect negotiations with America, and direct [talks] with other parties... sanctions are being imposed on Iranian entities and individuals,” he said.

“Sometimes we are told that the nuclear deal is over... But today, we secured a document to cancel the sanctions. We have been negotiating for months, not for the sake of negotiation. The government is determined and our plan is to maintain efforts...” the minister added.

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s government has come under criticism from its conservative allies that it is seeking unilaterally to revive the nuclear deal.

“We have been exchanging indirect messages for weeks to cancel the sanctions, and the foreign ministers of some countries have been seeking to reach a consensus on the first draft,” Abdollahian stated.

In addition to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic sanctions, the foreign minister pointed to the impact of the Ukrainian war on the economic and living conditions in Iran.

“For this reason, we focus on economic diplomacy and the development of foreign trade,” he said.

Iran and the parties to the agreement, with the coordination of the European Union and indirect US participation, began talks to revive the nuclear deal in April 2021. However, since then, Tehran has begun enriching uranium by 60 percent, which enables it to reach quantities to develop nuclear weapons.

On a different note, Abdollahian said that Iran “does not recognize the current governing body in Afghanistan,” and “insists on the necessity of forming an inclusive government” in the country.

“We insist on the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan because the Taliban are just part of and the entire reality in Afghanistan,” he told Iranian diplomats at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini on Thursday.

Referring to a renewed dispute between Iran and Afghanistan over the share of water in the Helmand River, the minister said: “We have told Afghan officials that the problem of the right to water cannot be resolved through political statements, but legal steps must be taken in this regard.”



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
TT

Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.