Iran government, nation do not trust US officials: FM Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the lack of trust on the part of the Iranian nation and government in US statesmen is the main problem in relations between Tehran and Washington.

“What the American officials have done in recent months, particularly after [the finalization of] JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], to satisfy critics inside the US has unfortunately failed to help restore the trust,” Zarif said in a joint press conference with visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in Tehran Sunday.

Zarif expressed hope that the US will live up to its obligations in the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran to help resolve the mistrust.

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Iran-Netherlands ties

Zarif said Iran and the Netherlands are determined to improve relations in all fields.

He added that relations between the two countries date back to several centuries ago but due to the conditions the level of ties has downgraded over the past few years.

“There have been extensive political and economic relations between Iran and the Netherlands,” Zarif said, adding, “Today, we have the opportunity to overcome the obstacles [that existed] in the past and achieve a favorable level in relations [between the two nations].”

The Iranian top diplomat said that in addition to oil, gas and energy sectors, Tehran and Amsterdam can cooperate in the fields of water management, agriculture and other areas in which the Netherlands has made considerable progress.

He also expressed Iran’s readiness to interact with its partners in the European Union in various political, economic and cultural fields.

“The expansion of economic relations will provide an appropriate ground for Iran’s cooperation with the Netherlands and other countries in the European Union,” Foreign Minister Zarif said.

The Dutch foreign minister, for his part, said that the “historic” nuclear agreement on July 14 was a victory for multilateral diplomacy and the policy of engagement.

Koenders said Iran and the Netherlands have deep-rooted relations, adding that the Dutch government is eager to work with Iran in oil and gas sectors.

The Dutch top diplomat arrived in Tehran Sunday at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart. He is set to hold talks with President Rouhani and other senior Iranian officials.