Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged that his government will move forward in negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. The negotiations revolve around lifting US sanctions on Iran in exchange for its return to the commitments outlined in the nuclear deal.
Raisi defended his administration’s foreign policy approach during a press statement delivered on Friday following his participation in the BRICS summit held in South Africa.
Returning from the summit, he carried a full hand, as the group agreed to Iran’s request to join – a second “achievement” that Raisi’s government proudly boasted of, following its inclusion last year in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Iran aims, through its membership in both groups, to confront US sanctions and Washington barring it from accessing the dollar.
This aligns with the “sanctions evasion” strategy advocated for years by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, with the objective of nullifying Western sanctions imposed on Tehran.
The sanctions were imposed over Iran’s nuclear program, the activities of the Revolutionary Guard, including their development of ballistic missiles and regional meddling, and human rights concerns.
Raisi attempted to showcase the steps his government took to secure BRICS membership.
He highlighted the visit of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to South Africa, as well as the participation of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran in a meeting with his counterparts within the BRICS group.
Raisi attributed his country’s regional activities as a key factor leading to the “consensus” among BRICS nations to grant Iran membership.
“The significance of Iran’s geopolitical position and active role in various regional issues is evident to all,” he said.
He further emphasized that joining international groups and alliances is among the top priorities pursued by his government in its foreign policy.
“In foreign policy, we do not pursue just one option or a single issue at the table; we have multiple agendas in foreign policy,” revealed Raisi.
Among the priorities that he discussed was the restoration of relations with regional neighbors.
He said that Iran’s relationships with neighboring countries were among the unfinished agendas.
“We lacked relations with some neighbors for years. Over the past two years, we exerted significant efforts to establish ties with them and took impactful steps in this regard,” he added.
