Qasemi: European Human Rights Sanctions Do Not Hinder Ongoing Dialogues

Iran states that European sanctions regarding human rights in the Islamic Republic reflect differing views between Iran and the European Union, but such an approach should not derail bilateral discussions. In remarks responding to the EU's recent decision to extend human rights sanctions against Iran, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry emphasized during his weekly press conference on Monday that "we have significant differences with the EU on certain issues, part of which relates to the differences in values between our region and country and the values prevailing in Europe, which also includes human rights issues." He noted that "negotiations between Iran and Europe have existed for a long time, and these negotiations will continue as before, but both sides must have an interest in this matter so that these negotiations can continue based on mutual interest and in an environment filled with goodwill." He also stated that in the coming months, delegations will be exchanged between Iran and the EU, and discussions will take place, but "these discussions will not necessarily be about human rights but will cover various issues." Iran and the EU have engaged in bilateral discussions, especially regarding human rights, for over two decades, and these discussions resumed in recent years after a hiatus during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, expanding beyond just human rights topics. Meanwhile, the EU on Thursday extended its sanctions against 82 individuals and Iran's cyber police, known as FATA, for another year due to "serious human rights violations in Iran." These sanctions, which originated in 2009 following a severe crackdown on protesters against that year's presidential election results, are not among those that were lifted or suspended after the nuclear agreement and have been extended annually since reaching the nuclear deal with Iran. Among these sanctions is a ban on exporting equipment that may be used for internal repression or communication surveillance. After the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers reached in summer 2015 and later implemented in January 2016, Iran was freed from nuclear-related sanctions, although the non-implementation of some of those sanctions is contingent upon periodic approvals from the U.S. President. Donald Trump, a serious critic of the JCPOA, emphasized three months ago during the extension of the suspension of this part of Iran's sanctions that if the serious flaws and deficiencies of this agreement are not corrected, he would no longer be willing to suspend sanctions and would likely withdraw from the JCPOA. Following this, European governments involved in the nuclear agreement began efforts to encourage the U.S. to remain in the JCPOA, emphasizing the importance of preserving it and shared concerns regarding what the U.S. describes as "Iran's destructive and destabilizing behaviors." Among these efforts are new sanctions proposed by the UK, France, and Germany focusing on Iran's missile program and the Islamic Republic's role in Syria. This proposal has faced resistance from some other European countries, and while it was supposed to be discussed at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday, the EU's foreign policy chief has predicted that the approval of this proposal will not be the outcome of the ministers' meeting. Donald Trump has set four specific conditions for amending the nuclear agreement, including the temporary modification of some restrictions, ensuring Iran does not have permanent access to nuclear weapons, inspections by the agency of all Iranian facilities, and the inclusion of Iran's missile program in this agreement. The Islamic Republic's missile program and its regional behavior, especially in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, are described by the U.S. as destructive and destabilizing actions that contradict the spirit of the nuclear agreement, which anticipates Iran's participation in global peace and stability.