Iran FM says Tehran will resort to Plan B if nuclear talks fail

Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a joint press conference with his Iraqi opposite number in Baghdad on Wednesday, added Iran has always supported an approach of diplomacy and negotiations and highlighted that Tehran seeks a good, strong and enduring agreement on the nuclear deal, JCPOA.

He also touched on the conflicting messages sent by the US through diplomatic and media channels regarding the JCPOA talks.

The Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that, during the negotiations of the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the Iranian parties, he will pursue discussions solely based on technical and specialized principles and away from political exigencies.

He once more stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons and the fatwa (religious decree) by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei in this regard is a clear witness to the issue.

In other parts of his comments, Amirabdollahian underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran supports an independent, strong and developed Iraq and reiterated the backing of Tehran for the people of Iraq enjoying the right to determine their own fate.

He also thanked Baghdad efforts aimed at setting up Tehran-Riyadh and Tehran-Cairo talks.
Amirabdollahian noted that Iraq should not be a place for separatist and terrorist groups against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for his part said Baghdad will not authorize the use of the Iraqi soil as a threat against neighboring countries, adding this is a principle of the Iraqi constitution.

The Iraqi foreign minister also called for the return of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US to the Vienna negotiations for the resolution of the nuclear issue.