Rouhani: We Have Started Political Dialogues with Europe on Regional Issues

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has called on Europe, along with China and Russia, to present and implement their final package to compensate for the reinstated U.S. oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic. In a note published in the Financial Times, Rouhani wrote: "The JCPOA has shown that the Islamic Republic of Iran is logical and open to dialogue. Therefore, we have initiated consultations and political dialogues with European countries regarding important mutual interests, especially the existing problems and crises in the region, with the aim of finding appropriate solutions to these crises." The Iranian president emphasized that cooperation between Iran and Europe would bring long-term benefits for both sides and global peace and stability. Rouhani did not specify which regional crises Iran is negotiating with Europe about. This comes as Iran has held three rounds of negotiations with the European Union and four European countries; Germany, France, Italy, and the UK regarding the crises in Yemen and Syria. Rouhani further stated: "After the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, we have had constructive dialogues with the remaining members of the JCPOA, including the European countries. The positions of these countries in support of the JCPOA have been valuable." Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in May of this year after the expiration of his deadline to amend the flaws of the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, and ordered the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran. The second round of oil and financial sanctions is set to be implemented from November 5, and according to U.S. officials, the goal of this round of sanctions is to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero. Rouhani continued in his note: "It is now essential for the three European countries plus Russia and China (E3+2) to present and implement their final package, which should compensate for the U.S. sanctions, before the imposition of new unilateral and extraterritorial U.S. sanctions. According to Hassan Rouhani, "only through benefiting from the achievements of the JCPOA can this historic agreement continue." Donald Trump believes that the JCPOA does not serve U.S. national interests, does not prevent Iran from ultimately acquiring nuclear weapons, and does not stop issues such as "support for terrorism," "destructive activities," or the development of the Islamic Republic's missile program. For this reason, the U.S. seeks negotiations on the future of Iran's nuclear program after the JCPOA, its missile program, and Iran's regional activities. Meanwhile, Iranian officials state that Tehran will not negotiate at all regarding the JCPOA and its missile program. The remaining countries in the JCPOA are trying to encourage Iran to remain committed to this agreement despite the U.S. withdrawal and the reinstatement of sanctions. In this context, European countries are set to implement a mechanism called the "Special Purpose Vehicle" (SPV), aimed at circumventing U.S. sanctions against banks that facilitate the transfer of funds for Iran's oil exports. Western diplomats say that the new EU mechanism will symbolically begin to help Iran receive payment for its exports from November 4. While Hassan Rouhani has called for the implementation of Europe's final package to counter U.S. sanctions, recent weeks have seen discussions about the role of Iranian security institutions in a bombing at a Mojahedin-e Khalq conference in Paris and an assassination attempt on a political activist in Denmark overshadowing Iran-Europe relations.