INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN – The top diplomats of Iran and Oman spoke about the latest developments of talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear
deal, a day after a senior Qatari diplomat visited Tehran for the same purpose. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his
Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi spoke about the latest developments in the sanctions removal talks over the phone, the Iranian foreign
ministry said in a statement. In the conversation, the top Iranian diplomat thanked the Persian Gulf sultanate, saying Iran is carefully
studying the US side’s response.Amirabdollahian added that the Islamic Republic will announce its views once it is done examining the US
response and making a conclusion.Amirabdollahian said, “We are determined to reach a good, lasting and robust deal.”Oman’s foreign
minister for his part appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constructive and responsible efforts as well as its good will about
reaching a deal.Busaidi expressed hope that the Vienna talks will produce good results thanks to joint cooperation between all parties to
the negotiations.The Omani foreign ministry offered similar details about the call
It said the two foreign ministers dealt with bilateral cooperation relations and emphasized the continuation of serious efforts to resume
the activation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The phone conversation
came a day after Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani held a meeting with Qatar’s Deputy Foreign
Minister for Regional Affairs Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz al-Khulaifi on Saturday evening.Bagheri Kani pointed to the incumbent Iranian
administration’s successful one-year experience in pursuing the neighborly policy and said, “The second step in the neighborly policy is
promoting multilateral and regional cooperation.”The Iranian diplomat highlighted the rapid growth in the already-excellent Tehran-Doha
relations, especially over the past year, saying, “We welcome Qatar’s effective role in advancing the second phase of Iran’s
neighborly policy and bolstering multilateral regional cooperation.”Elsewhere, the deputy foreign minister for political affairs said,
addressing the issue of Palestine is a human and Islamic duty on the shoulder of all regional countries and added, “Any lasting regional
arrangements depend on the realization of the Palestinian nation’s rights.”The Iranian foreign ministry did not say if the meeting dealt
But the Qatari foreign ministry said the situation around the nuclear deal was discussed in the meeting. The Qatari foreign ministry said
in a statement that the meeting also included discussions on the talks in Vienna over reviving a 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).“During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations, the developments in the ongoing
negotiations to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the United States, as well as a number of issues of common
interest,” the Qatari statement said. The statement added that the Qatari diplomat “stressed the importance of advancing further in
order to revive the nuclear agreement which is in the interest of the security and stability of the region, expressing the State of Qatar's
aspiration for a close agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”The Qatari diplomat also spoke over the phone
with Enrique Mora, the European Union's coordinator for Vienna talks, after his meeting with Bagheri Kani. “During the phone call, the
two sides reviewed aspects of the bilateral cooperation between the State of Qatar and the European Union, and the developments in the
negotiations to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program, in addition to issues of common
concern,” the Qatari foreign ministry said in a separate statement. The statement said that al-Khulaifi “expressed the State of Qatar's
appreciation for the efforts exerted by the European Union to bring views of the parties closer together in order to revive the Iranian
nuclear agreement; affirming that reaching a just agreement that takes into account the concerns of all parties is in the interest of the
security and stability of the region.”
