Raisi to Macron: Sanctions Removal, Verification, Guarantees Imperative for Deal in JCPOA Talks

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi made it clear for his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that any genuine attempt to hammer out an agreement in the Vienna talks needs to entail the removal of the sanctions on Iran in a verifiable manner and solid guarantees for Tehran.

Raisi and Macron discussed a range of issues in a telephone conversation on Saturday evening.

Strategies to strengthen bilateral relations, regional issues and the latest status of the talks in Vienna for the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] and lifting of the sanctions against Iran were among the topics that the two president discussed.

Referring to the US recognition of the failure of the policy of maximum pressure, Raisi stressed that “The Islamic Republic of Iran has shown its will and seriousness to reach an agreement in the negotiation process, and any effort by the other side in this regard should include the lifting of the sanctions, verification and valid guarantees.”

Emphasizing that stability and security in the region can only be achieved through intra-regional solutions and not foreign interventions, Raisi called on the international community to pay attention to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and lift the siege of the oppressed people of that country, his official website reported.

Macron, for his part, said Iran has the right to distrust the United States because it was the US that caused the crisis.

The French president also condemned the military aggression against the Yemeni people, especially the recent attacks by the Saudi-led military coalition.