In Beijing, Zarif calls for a tangible commitment by the Europeans to the nuclear deal

Tabnak – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has started a diplomatic tour to Asia and Europe aimed at exploring ways to save the nuclear deal after the United States withdrawal. In his first stop in Beijing, Zarif underlined the necessity of guaranteeing the benefits of the deal for Iran by the other parties.

Iran’s Foreign Minister said the main target of his tour of China, Russia and Belgium is to get guarantees from the 2015 nuclear deal parties that Iran will gain benefits of the JCPOA if the agreement is to survive after the US withdrawal.

In comments after arriving in Beijing on Sunday, Zarif said Iran’s primary purpose is to get guarantees that it will reap benefits of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action if the nuclear deal is to be saved.

Zarif said he is going to see how the non-US members of the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) would guarantee that Iran will benefit from the accord after the American exit.

Most of the demands for the Islamic Republic to remain in the nuclear deal have come from the European Union, the minister noted, adding that Tehran waits to see how the European parties will give guarantees.

“Today, we are all confident that the Chinese will stand with us (Iran) and we are going to discuss this,” Zarif said ahead of a meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

After China, the Iranian minister will travel to Moscow and Brussels for intensive talks on the possibility of preserving the JCPOA in a way that the Iranian nation’s interests are guaranteed.

Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that Zarif will embark on an intensive tour of China, Russia and Belgium late Saturday to explore ways of preserving the JCPOA with Europe and other parties to the deal.

He added that Zarif will leave for China, Russia and seat of European Union at the order of President Hassan Rouhani to exchange views with Europe and other parties to the JCPOA on the survival of the deal following the US departure.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that should the five countries remaining in the deal do their commitments and guarantee Iran's interests will be saved, the deal will stay, contrary to what the US and the Zionist regime wish.

“We are sorry that one of the G5+1 countries violated the deal and pulled out of it, a deal confirmed by the UN Security Council,” said President Rouhani in a joint press conference with his Sri Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena.

“The base of foreign policy is ethics, trust and international laws and we are really glad that Iran has been committed to any agreement it has signed,” said President Rouhani.

Also in a speech on May 9, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei urged that any decision to keep the deal running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the three European parties to the JCPOA.