'The nuclear deal can be revived': Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that the Iran Nuclear Deal can be revived.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Kanaani spoke about the India-Iran relationship and the revival of the Iran Nuclear Deal.

When asked if the status of the nuclear deal between US and Iran can still be revived, Kanaani

said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has so far been committed to the framework of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA. It was the government of the US that unilaterally withdrew from the agreement.”

He, however, added, “Dialogues are still continued through the intimidation of third parties. We still believe that the JCPOA as a multilateral agreement could be revived and restored.”

Kanaani said that the economic and commercial cooperation between India and Iran is important and that India and Iran share a two-way relationship.

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“We are cooperating with India in different domains. Our bilateral relations with India could expand including in the energy sector,” he said.

Talking about India and Iran’s deal to trade Rupee-Rial, giving way to the US dollar, Kanaani said, “Unfortunately, the United States has recognised the dollar in order to impose pressure upon countries. Under these circumstances, many countries are keen to expand other mechanisms like benefitting from their national currencies.”

“So, the cooperation between India and Iran also falls under this category,” he added.

When asked about Iran’s recent entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the country’s expectations from the group, the Iranian Foreign Ministry official said, “Membership of Iran in SCO is a very important development. Iran has always remained one of the important countries in the West Asia region.”

He added, “Some analysts have referred to Iran’s full membership of SCO as a turning point that increases and boosts the status of SCO both at the regional and international level.”