US Yet to Issue Visa to Iran FM for New York Visit

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mohammad Javad Zarif noted he plans to travel to the US to attend a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and also meet members of media think tanks, but the US has yet to give him a visa.

Zarif noted he would leave the US for the Venezuelan capital of Caracas where he would attend a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

He said he would visit two other Latin American countries as well.

The United States announced recently that it had slapped sanctions on Zarif, but later it was reported that Trump has temporarily suspended the ban after a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.

No Talks with ‘Terrorists’

Zarif further said the Islamic Republic of Iran had never left the negotiating table, but it won’t hold bilateral talks with the US as long as it’s hitting Iran with its economic terrorism.

“Iran attended joint commissions on the Iran nuclear deal until March 2018 and was involved in the negotiations. They themselves decided to leave the negotiating table. Now, they are claiming, in a deceptive move, that they are ready for talks,” he said.

“If they are prepared for negotiations, [I should say that] negotiations and terrorism don’t go together. Even they themselves don’t hold talks with terrorists, and we won’t hold talks with those who have got engaged in economic terrorism against our people. They should stop it,” the top diplomat said.

Zarif also referred to the so called “freeze for freeze” plan that media say was put forward by French President Macron during his envoy’s recent trip to Tehran, based on which Iran would freeze its nuclear measures and the US also freeze its sanctions.

“Macron’s advisor put forward a proposal to keep tensions from growing any further,” said Zarif.

“He was told that as long the US is engaged in an economic war against Iran, they should not expect Iran to stop its measures,” the foreign minister added.

“Either Europe should take the necessary actions, or the US should stop its economic war against the Iranian people,” he said