Hassan Rouhani to Visit Switzerland and Austria in July

On Monday, June 18, the Deputy for Communications and Information of the Iranian Presidency announced that Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, will travel to Switzerland and Austria in the first half of July. According to Parviz Esmaeili, this trip is at the invitation of the Presidents of Switzerland and Austria. Rouhani's visit to Austria comes after his trip to the country was abruptly canceled two years ago. The Deputy for Communications stated that several ministers and political and economic officials will accompany Rouhani on this trip, with the development of political, economic, and cultural cooperation being among the goals of the visit. Meanwhile, the Swiss Presidential Office announced that the Iranian President's visit to Switzerland will take place on July 2 and 3. According to the Austrian Presidential Office, Rouhani will visit Austria on July 4. AFP reported that Rouhani's trip aims to preserve the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Following the withdrawal of Donald Trump's administration from the JCPOA, Iran and European countries, along with Russia and China, are trying to save the agreement from complete collapse. The European Union has taken measures in this regard, the most notable of which is activating 'blocking regulations' to counter U.S. sanctions. In this context, a source close to the Austrian Presidential Palace told the German news agency that Austria 'supports efforts to maintain the nuclear agreement with Iran.' However, due to the intertwined nature of the global banking and investment system, many large companies have announced that they cannot withstand U.S. sanctions. Heavy fines and the loss of U.S. markets are reasons for large companies to exit Iran. EU leaders have stated that they are trying to encourage small and medium-sized companies that do not cooperate with the U.S. to engage with Iran. Iranian officials have stated that if the JCPOA does not serve Iran's interests, they will withdraw from the agreement. Following the U.S. exit from the nuclear deal, secondary sanctions will be implemented against Iran in 90 and 180-day intervals, and Washington has asked international companies to cut ties with Iran. In recent days and weeks, major companies such as Total, Maersk, Peugeot, General Electric, Honeywell, Boeing, Lukoil, Reliance, Daewoo Corporation, and Siemens have announced they are halting cooperation with Iran due to fears of sanctions. Two years ago, Rouhani canceled his trip to Austria at the last minute. Initially, security concerns from Iran were cited as the reason for the cancellation, but Heinz Fischer, the then-President of Austria, stated that there were no specific concerns. Subsequently, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, said that the reason for the cancellation was Iran's request not to grant permission for a gathering of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK).