Tehran open to talks with Riyadh: Iranian official
Despite all mistakes made by Saudi Arabia, Tehran is open to dialogue with Riyadh, Head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations said on Friday.
“We know they have made many mistakes in Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and Syria, but we are still for dialogue,” Kamal Kharrazi said in an interview with the French broadcaster France 24 on Friday.
As to the new US sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities, the Iranian former foreign minister called the measures violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but emphasized that Iran would remain committed to the accord and would only walk away if the US administration withdrew first.
Kharrazi, also the foreign policy adviser of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khameni stressed that Tehran has always been struggling with terrorism and is determined in fighting against it.
“Iran has always been vulnerable...but it’s been stable enough to fight terrorists,” he said.
'One of the reasons why we rushed to the help of the Syrian and Iraqi governments, was concern about our own security, because the terrorists were very close to our borders,' Kharrazi added.
As to French recent shift of policy with regard to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Kharrazi said that Iran welcomed the “more realistic” view.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Assad removal was no longer necessary.
Expounding on Iran's record on human rights, Kharrazi said evidence in espionage cases would be made public if the suspect is found guilty, France 24 quoted Kharrazi.
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