Guarantees, Closure of Safeguards Case Requisites for Deal in JCPOA Talks: Raisi

In a meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Raisi emphasized that Iran is ready to reach a fair and stable agreement, saying the achievement of this agreement is dependent on reassuring guarantees and the closing of Iran's safeguard cases.

"The level of cooperation and relations between Iran and France can be promoted, while Europe must show in practice that its policies are independent and not subject to the will and policy of the United States,” he underlined.

The Iranian president also referred to the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA and the violation of its obligations, as well as the failure of the Europeans to fulfill their obligations in order for Iran to enjoy the economic benefits of the agreement, and added, "Despite the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the agreement and the resulting damages, the desire of the Republic Islamic of Iran to receive reassuring guarantees is a completely reasonable and logical demand."

Raisi described Iran's open cases in the IAEA as a serious obstacle to reaching an agreement, and said, "The Agency's approach to issues should be technical and away from the pressures and suggestions of others, and we believe that without the closure of Iran's cases, it is not possible to reach an agreement."

Criticizing the request for a resolution at the Board of Governors against Iran by three European countries while the nuclear negotiations were ongoing, Raisi described these approaches as unconstructive and said they cause issues to become more complicated, according to his official website.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency, with its monitoring and inspections, has officially confirmed 15 times that Iran's activities are based on its commitments and far from deviation,” he added, describing the IAEA's dual approach to the destructive nuclear activities of the Zionist regime as a sign of politicization.

He further called Iran's regional activities as peace-making and a factor in preventing the spread of terrorism to Europe, and said, "The fact that you are holding elections peacefully in France today is due to the efforts of the Islamic Republic in destroying terrorism in the region."

For his part, Macron made suggestions for the ongoing negotiations and said, "It is a fact that, while the Agency announced that Iran had fully fulfilled its obligations, the United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, and the European parties failed to fulfill their obligations regarding Iran's use of the economic benefits of the agreement."

The French president said it is necessary to continue the progress in the nuclear agreement and noted, "Iran and the IAEA are able to solve the existing cases by working together, and we will not put political pressure on the IAEA in this regard."

Macron also invited the Iranian president to visit France, adding, "We can increase our cooperation on developing bilateral relations and economic and regional issues."