Zarif: EU Sanctions on Iran's National Oil Tanker Company Do Not Violate Geneva Agreement

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, dismissed the discussion about the violation of the Geneva agreement due to the renewed sanctions on Iran's National Oil Tanker Company, emphasizing that the EU's action in re-sanctioning this company is not contrary to the Geneva agreement. In an interview with Mehr News Agency on Friday, February 19, he stated: "These sanctions [on Iran's National Oil Tanker Company] are not new; they are a repetition of previous sanctions that require a legal move, and our friends will go to court, obtain a ruling, and resolve technical issues based on the court's decision. Therefore, from a legal perspective, it cannot be said that the Geneva agreement has been violated." However, Zarif believes that the EU's action is not in line with the Geneva agreement either, and Iran can undertake many actions in response that are not in accordance with the Geneva agreement but will not be against it. Recently, the EU has once again placed Iran's National Oil Tanker Company on its sanctions list. This company had managed to convince the EU General Court this summer to rule in favor of lifting sanctions against it. At that time, an EU official assured that "appropriate measures are being taken to keep Iran's National Oil Tanker Company on the EU sanctions list." The company was first added to the EU sanctions list in 2012 due to its alleged ties to Iranian government entities, although it has consistently denied such accusations, claiming to be a private company. However, its re-entry into the EU sanctions list has been interpreted by some media inside Iran as a "new sanction" and a "violation of the Geneva agreement," which Zarif considers to be an incorrect interpretation. Nonetheless, Zarif emphasizes that this EU action is "against rationality." He stated: "What has been violated is reason; because their actions are irrational, as the Westerners have not yet realized that sanctions are a cost for themselves rather than an asset that prevents them from achieving their goals; I am more concerned about this mindset than about one or two instances of these events." "Agreement on Everything or Nothing" Zarif's remarks come ahead of bilateral negotiations between Iran and the US, which are set to take place again today, Friday, in Geneva, Switzerland. In this round of negotiations, the deputies of the foreign ministers of the two countries will first negotiate with each other, followed by meetings between the foreign ministers of Iran and the US on Sunday and Monday. The Iranian Foreign Minister insists that "an agreement must be reached on all details by July," and since "there is not much time for formal meetings, bilateral negotiations should be pursued in this manner to reach a result." According to him, "if the other side has political will, an agreement will be reached, and if there is no will, no agreement, whether general or specific, will be made." Zarif ultimately referred to the statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding the one-stage nature of the nuclear agreement, saying: "This is not a new perspective that the Islamic Republic has raised... We have a principle in negotiations that nothing is agreed upon unless everything is agreed upon; this principle has also been included in the Geneva declaration, so we are not concerned in this regard." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, recently stated that he does not agree with the idea of first reaching an agreement on "general principles" and then on details, as he believes the West will use this as a "means for continuous excuses." Previously, senior negotiators from Iran and global powers had spoken about the possibility of reaching a political agreement by the end of February, after which they would delve into the details.