Zarif in Brussels: We Ask Europe to Consider Iran's Interests

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, arrived in Brussels on Monday, May 13, for discussions with the foreign ministers of France, Britain, and Germany regarding the JCPOA. Zarif's trip to Brussels follows his meetings in Beijing and Moscow with the foreign ministers of those countries. According to Hana Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda in Brussels, Zarif entered the European Council building in Brussels on Tuesday morning local time to hold his first meeting with Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief. Zarif described his meeting with Mogherini as 'constructive' and stated, 'We are on the right path to ensure that the interests of the other signatories of the JCPOA, especially Iran, are guaranteed.' Upon his arrival at the European Council building, Zarif responded to a question from a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter about Iran's demands from Europe, saying, 'We ask Europe to consider Iran's interests.' Meanwhile, according to ISNA, the Iranian Foreign Minister outlined Iran's positions regarding the JCPOA after the U.S. withdrawal in a letter to Federica Mogherini. Zarif had previously written to Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, regarding the future of the JCPOA and Iran's positions. Zarif's main meeting with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany, along with Federica Mogherini, is scheduled for Tuesday evening. The Iranian Foreign Minister began his tour for negotiations about the fate of the JCPOA from China on Sunday, emphasizing that Europeans must guarantee Iran's interests in the JCPOA. The request for guarantees from Europe was a demand from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, who stated on May 8 in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA that he does not trust the three European countries involved in the agreement and suggested that if they intend to continue the JCPOA with the presence of Russia, China, and the three European countries, they should obtain practical guarantees from the three European countries. The Supreme Leader did not provide details on what these so-called 'practical' guarantees should be and how they should be realized. The European Union had previously stated that as long as Iran adheres to the agreement, it will not reinstate its sanctions. Federica Mogherini reiterated on Monday evening, one day before her meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif, that Europeans are cooperating to preserve the agreement reached with Russia and China. Iran and the P5+1 countries reached an agreement in July 2015 after a long period of intensive negotiations, under which Iran would halt its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Last week, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced that the country would withdraw from the JCPOA. The U.S. President has labeled the JCPOA as 'the worst deal' since his election campaign and has criticized it extensively, making it one of his promises to change the content of this agreement if elected. In response to Trump's action, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated that Tehran would continue its cooperation with the five remaining countries in the nuclear agreement and would take appropriate action if it does not benefit from the JCPOA. Other parties to the agreement have also begun efforts to preserve the JCPOA; America's European allies have stated that they will remain committed to the JCPOA even without Washington and will support their companies that have business relations with Iran against the White House's sanctions. According to a reporter from Radio Farda in Brussels, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, will meet with dozens of representatives from private companies and economic activists in France before heading to Brussels. Michael Roth, the German Deputy Foreign Minister, has also described examining Iran's deadline regarding the JCPOA as 'essential' and stated that European countries are considering the 45 to 60-day deadline set by Iran. On Monday, Zarif discussed with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, in Moscow. Zarif described Iran-Russia relations as 'admirable' and stated, 'Lavrov promised to defend and preserve this agreement.' Lavrov also mentioned that Russia and Europe have a duty to jointly defend their legal interests in this agreement. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, after expressing deep concern over Trump's decision, spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about efforts to save the agreement.