April 21, The Iran Project - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in New York on Thursday (April 19) to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-level Meeting on Sustaining Peace.
The event is slated to be held on April 24-25 in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Zarif is to deliver a speech on April 24.
During his six-day trip, Zarif will also meet UN Secretary General Antnio Guterres and his counterparts from other nations. He will also give a speech at the US Council on Foreign Relations.
So far, Zarif has met with President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Miroslav Lajcak and has had an interview with American TV Channel CBS.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in New York Thursday night, Zarif said the wrong policies of the US could drag the region to a very dangerous point particularly in Syria.
He added that, This meeting will give us the opportunity to present the stances of the Islamic Republic of Iran especially in regards to the proposals for establishing dialogue and sustainable security in the Persian Gulf region and in our neighborhood, and also the concept proposed by President Rouhani to set up security, serenity, and stability in the region, at the General Assembly of the United Nations and to consult with other members of the UNGA.
Meanwhile, Zarif and Miroslav Laj?k exchanged views on the developments at the UN body, and the upcoming conference on sustaining peace.
They also discussed the holding of a high-level meeting in July on dealing with pollution caused by particulate matters, an issue which is highly significant for Iran, as well as other issues of mutual interest.
In an interview with CBS, Zarif said the country is ready to restart its nuclear program if the Trump administration reinstates sanctions, noting that, "We have put a number of options for ourselves, and those options are ready."
Asked how Iran would respond if the US president walked away from the deal, Zarif said the country was prepared.
"Those options are ready to be implemented and we will make the necessary decision when we see fit," the top Iranian diplomat stated.
Separately on Friday, the Iranian foreign minister warned that the US will regret leaving the nuclear pact as the reaction from the Islamic Republic and the international community will be unpleasant for the Americans.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the US, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement in July 2015 and started implementing it in January 2016.
The deal, which is officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is an international document endorsed by the Security Council Resolution 2231.
But the US government, specially the administration of President Donald Trump, has failed to stay true to its commitments under the deal.