Zarif: America's 'Addiction to Sanctions' Prevents Any Dialogue

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated that there will not be a meeting between Iranian and American officials, including the foreign ministers of both countries, and that America's 'addiction to sanctions' hinders any dialogue between the two nations. On Saturday, August 10, in response to a question from a Tasnim reporter regarding a potential meeting with Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Zarif emphasized that no such meeting is planned. He also reminded that Iran's official position regarding Trump's proposal for a meeting and dialogue with Hassan Rouhani has been announced by the President and the Foreign Ministry, asserting that the Americans lack 'sincerity' for such a meeting. Last week, after the first round of sanctions against Iran officially began with Donald Trump's order, John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, suggested that Iran should accept Trump's proposal to prevent the re-imposition of sanctions and come to the negotiating table. In recent weeks, following Trump's willingness to meet 'without preconditions' with Rouhani, speculations about a possible meeting between the two presidents, or at least some officials from both countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, had been raised. These speculations were bolstered by Trump's remark that 'I feel the Iranians will be meeting us soon.' Some of these speculations were based on Zarif's trip to Oman, followed by the visit of his Omani counterpart, Yusuf bin Alawi, to Washington, with news sources and observers indicating the possibility of messages being exchanged between the two countries through the Omani Foreign Minister, who has previously mediated between Iran and the United States. However, Zarif now states that there is no message in between and adds that Iran's policy is 'bilateral relations with friends and neighbors' and 'it is not the case that we have interactions with a third country for a third purpose.' Regarding potential talks between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. Secretary of State had previously stated that Iran's commitment to change its behavior is a benchmark that indicates the value of any potential dialogue with Iran. Zarif also reiterated in an interview with Tasnim that 'America's addiction to sanctions' is an obstacle to dialogue between Iran and the U.S. He commented that Americans are 'caught up in their addiction; their addiction to sanctions will not allow for any dialogue to take place.' Zarif echoed this sentiment on Saturday in a tweet criticizing America's hardline approach towards Turkey, blaming the U.S. President for expressing 'delight' at the worsening economic problems of Turkey, a NATO ally, and added that America must abandon its 'addiction to sanctions and bullying,' or the world must unite and compel him to do so beyond mere verbal condemnation. He added that we have always stood by our neighbors in the past and will continue to do so now. Turkey, which has recently experienced a sharp decline in the value of its currency against the dollar, recently stated through its Foreign Minister that it cannot cooperate with the U.S. in the resumption of sanctions against Iran, as it has no alternative for the oil and gas it imports from Iran. Following recent diplomatic disputes between Ankara and Washington and in light of some sanctions against Turkish officials, the value of the Turkish lira and the stock market faced turbulence, and last Monday, after the U.S. announced it would review the tariff exemptions granted to Turkey, the value of the lira sharply declined against the dollar. The peak of the lira's decline occurred on Friday when U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he had authorized the doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey. According to a Reuters report early Saturday, the value of the lira against the dollar has fallen by 40% this year, but on Friday, it even dropped by 18% in a single day, marking an unprecedented decline since 2001.