Sweden eyes entering INSTEX; Jan Eliasson told ILNA

Speaking to ILNA correspondent, he said "I'm a former Foreign Minister and I can't speak on behalf of the government, but I know the Swedish government is assessing conditions for joining it."

The Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) is a European special-purpose vehicle (SPV) established in January 2019. Its mission is to facilitate non-USD transactions and non-SWIFT to avoid breaking U.S. sanctions.

Asked about the U.S official claims that foods and medicines do not include sanctions, he said "humanitarian supplies are exempt from sanctions, and that was the primary reason for the creation of the European financial mechanism."

"INSTEX will definitely cover the food and drug sector, but I know that Iran wants to sell its oil and  wants it cover more subjects," UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said.

"We hope that China and Russia will cooperate with us in this regard."

Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters on Friday, after his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, that he had constructive talks with the French head of state, but meantime reiterated that Tehran will never re-negotiate the nuclear deal of 2015, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

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