High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, along with the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday.
According to a statement released by the German Foreign Ministry, Kallas and the three European ministers “initiated the telephone call with their Iranian counterpart to continue diplomatic efforts.”
In their joint comments, the European side alleged that Iran has not yet taken the “reasonable and precise steps necessary” under UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
According to a readout of the phone conversation by the Iranian foreign ministry, it focused on the Iranian nuclear issue and the removal of anti-Iran sanctions.
Referring to Iran’s principled position on the importance of maintaining an atmosphere of dialogue and diplomacy to prevent an increase in tensions, the Iranian Foreign Minister considered the move by the three European countries to reinstate the previously lifted UN Security Council sanctions to be devoid of any legal or logical justification. Araghchi said that, “The Islamic Republic of Iran entered into dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency with a responsible approach and developed a clear modality on how to fulfill Iran’s safeguards obligations under the new circumstances [that emerged after the 12-day US-Israeli aggression], and it is necessary for all parties to understand the importance and value of this move.”
“Now it is the other side’s turn to use this opportunity to continue the diplomatic path and prevent an avoidable crisis, and to demonstrate their seriousness and belief in diplomacy,” Araghchi continued.
It was yesterday that Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei reporters that the Iranian Foreign Minister and three European ministers (Germany, France, and the United Kingdom) and the European Union foreign policy chief were scheduled to have a joint telephone conversation on Wednesday.
Baghaei said, “It is a natural expectation that Iran’s positive approach, accompanied by goodwill, will receive a similar and reciprocal action from the European parties. We have shown that we do not shy away from diplomacy and that we will use every opportunity to secure the interests and well-being of the Iranian people. Now it is the opposing parties’ turn.”
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