Iran to use all possible means to protect properties: Spokesman

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Monday that if assets belonging to Iran and Iranians are exposed to any kind of “robbery”, Iran will use every possible means to safeguard the rights of the nation.

Asked to comment on payment of compensation to US diplomats taken hostage in Tehran in 1979, the spokesman said that the so-called compensation is to be deducted from the fine paid by a French bank.

Jaberi Ansari ruled out the possibility of getting the compensation from the Iranian assets frozen by the US government and said it runs counter to the 1981 Algeria Claims Settlement Declaration.

In response to a question about the savings of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Jaberi Ansari said US courts have issued some verdicts since 2007 on taking from these savings which is illegal according to Algiers Declaration and the CBI has been following the case through legal procedures.

On Syria, he said Iran’s stands regarding regional developments and what is going on in Syria are crystal clear.

When asked to comment about recent allegations by Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan against the Islamic Republic of Iran over Tehran’s policies in Syria, he said, “This is not the first time that we witness the adoption of such policies by Turkey.”

“Tehran believes that it is the Syrian people who have the final say and right to determine their own destiny,” said the spokesman.

He also voiced Tehran’s strong opposition to exploiting terrorism and extremism to reach political goals.

He also voiced Tehran’s readiness to help solve the critical situation of West Asia, saying the same resolve on the Saudi part could pave the way for more active efforts.

When asked to comment on a report carried by Lebanese newspaper As Safir about a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, the spokesman confirmed preliminary diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Riyadh on the sidelines of international meetings, but declined to further elaborate.

He expressed hope that the contacts between the two countries would pave the way for a way out of the current critical situation of the region.

Joint determination of two major West Asian countries to put an end to the current situation would raise hopes for solving regional crises so that lower costs will be inflicted on regional nations and governments, Jaber Ansari said.