Iran to keep up work to secure release of assets blocked abroad: Spox

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks at his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.

As the spokesman underlined, the issue of the financial claims was also reviewed by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on the sidelines of the October 2022 United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

He went on to stress that the Japanese government has repeatedly expressed its readiness to settle its debts and is making an effort to this end.

The Iranian foreign minister arrived in the Japanese capital Tokyo late on Sunday to hold talks with top officials of the country and to discuss international, regional, and bilateral issues.

In a press conference in Japan on Monday, Amirabdollahian said Iran expects Japan to support policies to ensure regional security through the capabilities and potentials of countries in the region.

Iran-BRICS meeting in presence of Russia

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Amirabdollahian took part in two meetings of foreign ministers of BRICS and BRICS Plus in South Africa and they had bilateral meetings in June 2023.

Kanaani went on to say that the issue of Iran’s membership in BRICS was discussed and the Iranian FM announced in the same trip that Tehran plans to hold a conference to examine the cooperation between the Islamic Republic and BRICS.

The spokesman also said that a meeting under the theme of perspectives of cooperation between Iran and BRICS is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (August 8) at the Institute for Political and International Studies of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Iranian official, the deputy foreign minister of Russia is in Tehran to take part in the meeting and the participants will participate in different panels of the meeting.

Fortunately, there are diplomatic exchanges at different levels between Iran and Russia, he said, adding that the mutual cooperation has been shaped based on the willingness of the high-ranking officials of both countries.

Kanaani also stipulated that given the good relationship between the two sides, the upcoming meeting seems to be a good opportunity to enhance dialogue with Russia and that Iran will make use of any diplomatic opportunity with the aim of paving the ground for returning the signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to the internationally recognized deal in a responsible manner.

US presence in region not to provide security

“Our position is quite clear and, in our opinion, the Persian Gulf countries are fully capable of guaranteeing their security and there is no need for the presence of foreign forces in the region,” he said.

He also said the security of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is one of the priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stressing that regional security should be provided within the framework of joint cooperation between the coastal countries of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

West uses Ukraine to test its weapons: Kanaani

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani said Tehran hopes that the international community will also pay attention to the importance of the crisis in Ukraine.

“The countries that recklessly arm one side of the war and see the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to test their various weapons must pay attention to a political solution so that we can see an end to this crisis,” he argued.

According to the spokesman, the Islamic Republic has from the very beginning underlined the need to choose the path of dialogue as the best way to end the crisis and has made great efforts at different levels to end this war.

Elaboration of Iran-Pakistan agreement

In his remarks, the spokesman elaborated on the recent visit of Amirabdollahian to Pakistan that took place to follow up on the implementation of the agreements between Tehran and Islamabad.

In Pakistan, the two neighboring countries also agreed to develop border transportation and remove obstacles to expand relations in various fields, particularly in the areas of agriculture and economy.

UK, supporter of terrorists in the region

Elsewhere, the spokesman termed the UK as a supporter of the terrorists in the region while pointing to London’s renewed call for blacklisting Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Because of the black record of its acts in West Asia, which has led to long-lasting instability in the region, and also due to its role to support terrorism directly and indirectly, the UK is not in a position to accuse IRGC, he noted.

“IRGC has offered considerable services not only to the regional countries but also to the European states.”

He added that the IRGC is the Islamic Republic’s official body that plays a leading role in guarding national interests and security.

Latest developments of Iran ties with Egypt, Saudi Arabia

The spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also pointed to the relations between Tehran and Cairo, saying that there are not any new developments concerning the relationship between the two sides to be announced now.

He went on to say that Iran does not consider any limitation in developing a relationship with any Arab nation in West Asia and North Africa, so the Islamic Republic is ready to respond to any measure to this end with open arms.

Kanaani also underscored that in the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a positive trend is obvious and when it comes to reopening the Saudi embassy in Tehran, there is not any exact answer in this regard; however, the Saudi government is trying to reopen its diplomatic mission at a proper time.

Deputy FM Ali Bagheri Kani’s trip to Oman

Touching upon the prisoner swap with other states as well as the issue of Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani’s visit to Oman, Kanaani mentioned that Bagheri visited the Arab country to hold talks on bilateral, regional, and international issues. The Iranian authorities pursue important topics, including political, economic, and consular fields, with the help of Oman, the spokesman said, adding that Iran is following up on those issues, which require consultations.

Bagheri Kani has made the trip in line with the same framework of promoting diplomatic dynamism between the two friendly countries, Kanaani noted, saying that in respect of prisoner swap, the Islamic Republic follows up the subject based on consideration related to humanitarian issues.

Iran's complaint to ICJ against Canada

Issues pertaining to Iran's legal issues and its assets have a special legal characteristic and we are pursuing the issue, Kanaani said.

With regard to Iran’s assets and properties in Canada, we have taken the necessary action against Canada's illegal actions in this regard, he noted.

We have recently filed a complaint against Canada in the International Court of Justice in order to protect national interests, he stated.

Transferring part of Iran's debts from Iraq to a third country

A part of Iran's debt has been transferred to a third country upon the order of the prime minister of Iraq, he said.

Naturally, we will wait for the Iraqi government to take necessary action, Kanaani added.

Negotiations are underway and Iran will not hesitate to make necessary efforts to obtain its own financial resources, he said.

He hailed talks with the Iraqi government, saying that these problems are caused by the US administration’s cruel acts that are aimed at damaging relations between the two countries.

The Iraqi government has also shown its interest in paying its debts to Iran in the best way, Kanaani said.