IRNA - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced his trip to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday.






According to IRNA, Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday evening in a meeting with Iranians expatriate in Sweden that although he was still under sanction today, there was no pressure on him.

The high-ranking diplomat went on to say that he met with Kuwaiti officials yesterday, and today with Finnish, tomorrow and after tomorrow with Swedish, Norwegian and French officials, and will meet with Chinese officials next week so the US sanctions were not exerting any pressure on Iran’s FM to get his job done.

According to the senior Iranian official, Washington seeks to sanction the Iranian people, so he no longer uses the word sanction as a foreign minister, but will use the word economic terrorism.

In another part of his remarks, the senior official stated that the authorities in every post and position sought to serve the Iranian people and it must be believed that if the people did not support the officials and diplomats and did not resist, the country would not be protected.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, meanwhile, stressed that Iran is trying to maintain its security in every possible way and the progress of Iran are in the hands of Iranians own, not the foreign power, of course, the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks engagement and when reaches the agreement it is adhering to it.

We are indebted to all those who have earned honor for our country, he said. He referred to not only those who have fought in the war for their country, but all those who have been under pressure for many years, the FM reiterated.

Zarif underlined that if the Iranian in the world can be proud of being Iranian and that no one can bully the Iranian nation to do something, it is because of the people who have been able to create honor for Iran all inside and outside; people inside Iran who stood up against the pressures and sanctions, and people who were good ambassadors for Iran with their abilities, knowledge and entrepreneurship.

Iran has proved that it can both resist and negotiate and it does not breaking its promises. "We showed that because of the people and the support we have from the people's resistance, we can sit up against the six great powers and take our rights. No one in the world expects Iran to sit next to six countries and surrender."

In another part of his remarks, the head of the diplomacy noted that with the US sanctions, some developments happened in the world which will have long-lasting effects because the US wants to use the dollar excessively. In many countries’ businesses, the dollar is being eliminated, such as in Russia and China.

INSTEX may not be a cure for problems in the short term, but in the long run it is a trend that raises concern for Europe as what to do if our ties with China are sanctioned, he said. INSTEX has problems first of all, money must go into INSTEX. It must be entered from Iranian oil money or credit equivalent to Iranian oil. The next problem is that INSTEX cannot be just a tool for humanitarian purposes, it needs not to be limited to food and medicine.

The Iranian Foreign Minister further stated that Tehran was ready to negotiate with Riyadh on regional issues.