Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman: We Do Not Negotiate Our Regional Policy

The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected reports about European countries negotiating with the Islamic Republic regarding regional policies "at the request of the United States," stating that "we do not negotiate with other countries about our regional policies." According to ISNA news agency, Bahram Qasemi announced on Tuesday, March 7, in a conversation with reporters that dialogue and consultation are different from negotiation, and "we have no problem with dialogue and consultation on regional issues with countries we have relations with." Reuters reported on Sunday, January 29, that it had obtained an internal correspondence from the U.S. State Department and cited a senior official from that department, stating that Washington has designed a roadmap for its key European allies; Britain, France, and Germany regarding Iran. According to these correspondences, the U.S. has requested European countries to pursue a complementary agreement with Iran that includes long-range missiles and the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities after the 10-year period set in the Vienna nuclear agreement. Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, also stated on Saturday, January 27, that the nuclear agreement with Iran is only a "small" part of U.S. policy towards the Middle East, and Washington has further concerns regarding other issues, including Tehran's support for the Houthis in Yemen and Iran's supply of weapons to other militant groups in the region. In this context, British Prime Minister Theresa May also emphasized the commitment of both countries to maintain the JCPOA after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday, January 27, stating that both countries, like the U.S., are concerned about Iran's "destabilizing" activities in the Middle East. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also announced on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic has negotiated with several members of the UN Security Council regarding the British proposed resolution on Yemen to "draw their attention to the catastrophe that this resolution could create in Yemen and the region." The UN Security Council is set to vote on Tuesday, March 7, on separate draft resolutions from Russia and Britain regarding Yemen. In the British draft proposal, Iran is accused of violating the arms embargo on Yemen, while the Russian draft does not mention Iran. Recently, a group of UN experts concluded that Iran has violated the 2015 arms embargo against Yemen by sending missiles to the Houthis. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia had previously accused Iran of supplying missiles to the Houthis, but Iran has denied this claim. In the latest draft resolution proposed by Britain, there is a "special concern" regarding the sending of "weapons originating from Iran to Yemen after the imposition of the arms embargo"; this draft also states that Iran has not complied with Security Council resolutions. In addition to the Yemen issue, Iran's military presence in Syria has raised concerns, particularly from Israel, and has been described as instances of Iran's "destructive and destabilizing behaviors," which have been strongly criticized by the U.S. and its allies. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump described Iran and Russia's behavior regarding the Eastern Ghouta attacks as a "humanitarian disgrace."