Iranian President Rouhani Says Iran Must Enjoy Nuclear Deal Benefits

In a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Tehran on Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran must enjoy the benefits of the nuclear deal, Tehran Times reports. According to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is tasked to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the termination of economic and financial sanctions. However, countries, especially Europeans are slow in resuming economic and banking ties with Tehran.

“Implementing and protecting the JCPOA is very important. We believe that all and especially the Iranian nation should be able to enjoy benefits of the JCPOA,” Rouhani asserted.

The nuclear deal, which was signed in July 2015 between Iran, the European Union, Germany and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Britain, went into effect in January 2016. Rouhani insisted it is important to expand ties, especially in the banking sector in accordance with the implementation of the nuclear agreement.

“More efforts should be made to reach a ‘favorable level’ in bilateral cooperation. The will to use the post-JCPOA atmosphere to expand all-out ties and cooperation should be shown in practice and we should see its results,” the president said, highlighting the necessity of expanding ‘friendly’ and ‘balanced’ relations to guarantee common interests.

The Iranian president said that the Islamic Republic welcomes “friendly and balanced” ties with the UK. He further underlined the necessity for the further development of banking relations and cooperation ‎between Tehran and London in line with the implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, which came into force in 2016. He further said that Tehran-London negotiations could result in closer ‎cooperation for protecting the stability in the region.

Elsewhere, Rouhani said that Iran has always sought to help establish peace and stability and eradicate terrorism in the Middle East, noting Tehran-London talks can result in more cooperation to establish regional stability. He also said the decision by Donald Trump to recognize al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel is like adding fuel to the fire.

“Regional situation is in a way that the fire in it should not be fuelled and the recent decision by the U.S. President in recognition of the noble Quds as capital was wrong,” he said.

Rouhani also underlined “Iran’s constructive role” in the war against terrorism in Iraq and Syria.

“No one can doubt Iran’s positive measures in the region,” he said, adding that Iran’s constructive role had “saved [Syria and Iraq] from the threat of terrorism,” Press TV quoted him as saying.