 Foreign Minister, welcome pleasure to have you on Let me ask you you represent a new government in Iran In many ways seems different from the last one. Certainly watching the campaign. You were very critical of the last government What is this new government's foreign policy and how does it differ from the last one? In the name of God the most beneficent the most merciful the doctoring of the foreign policy of the new administration in Iran is based on a Balanced foreign policy a dynamic an active diplomacy and a smart interaction with all the parties in In the foreign policy of the new administration of Iran We have put on our agenda the development of our ties with all the parts in the world east and the west But in prioritizing We are taking a special look at our neighbors in Asia It's a special attention. We are paying to our neighbors in Asia But also as an important country in the Asian continent We are also having a special attention towards Asia We believe that the 21st century is the century that belongs to Asia but also maintaining relations with the West with the African continent all parts of the world and Developing our political and diplomatic ties with Europe and On all the countries in the West There are also parts of our balanced foreign policy and we are paying serious attention to them So let me ask you about the burning issue at hand The Russia's invasion of Ukraine Iran has often said that one of the consistent themes of its foreign policy is it does not Condone aggression. It does not condone the changing of borders by force You were yourself victim of Saddam Hussein's aggression Why is the Iranian government reluctant to come out clearly and simply and condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Adam or it regarding Ukraine first of all what happened there the war and the military Operation it was something that we strongly condemned Even the supreme leader of Iran at the highest level in the Islamic Republic of Iran Clearly and then publicly declared that we are opposed to war as we are Hope sir Being opposed to war is different from condemning The country that began the war what I'm looking for is a simple statement that says you Condemned Russia for beginning the war we all oppose war but do you do you condemn Russia for starting the war as We condemn the war against Ukraine and we believe it is not Appropriate also war against Afghanistan Iraq Yemen and Palestine. We believe that war is Inappropriate everywhere, but Ukraine there is this reality The United States and NATO they were involved in provocative actions in the region. I think the what is There were provocations Done by the United States and NATO in order to justify their presence and also their enlargement and provoke Kremlin into this. This is a reality that has to come to our attention, but but this This solution For that is it war? No, we Support dialogue and diplomacy. I have to talk twice with Mr. Lavrov also the Ukrainian foreign minister last week I I proposed to Mr. Lavrov that we are ready to host both of you Ukraine and Russia war has to come to an end and those Ukrainian Displaced people and this humanitarian tragedy It pains every human being's heart and I hope that our efforts will be will help to bring the war into a halt and help the political process We don't have any double standard Ukraine Afghanistan Yemen anywhere in the world if the human rights are violated anywhere There is war and a creation. We are opposed to it and we condemn it The Russian Foreign Minister take you up on your offer because Russia does not seem at all interested in negotiating right now It's in truth. It's in it continues to fight and take territory from Ukraine You know Mr. Fariz Akaria where the problem is Russia is blaming Ukraine that Ukraine is not After the negotiations and the top of the war and Ukraine is doing the same and accusing Russia Of the same thing, but I am of the belief that we should all try so that you the Ukrainian war will come to an end as soon as possible and That the problems will be set up between Russia and Ukraine through Political dialogue that is affecting vastly the whole world Let me ask you about the the so-called Iran nuclear deal the JCPOA Rob Malley the American official who is in charge of handling that portfolio Said recently that the the prospects for the deal are being renewed our tenuous at best fragile Cast doubt that it would happen. Do you share that view that the Iran nuclear deal is unlikely to come back into force? Just Just like the foreign minister of the United States the foreign secretary and also Mr. Rob Malley, I Am facing a lot of pressure coming from my parliament And they are a strong people Inside both countries that are against the the revival of JCPOA for for their own reasons, of course We are receiving messages from Rob Malley and some some of the officials of the United States at the highest level mr Biden himself that are a little bit different From what we hear from them that the publicist statements that they make it is understandable to me that mr Rob Malley is also considering Domestic purposes and you know, we know how he's speaking before the Congress But what we are exchanging messages through non papers through Mr. Enrique Mora or Mr. Borrell of The EU or some of the foreign ministers in Europe in my region there are messages that are exchanged between us from the beginning of the new rounds of talks in order to Revive JCPOA and bring them back to their commitments that the parties the son of public of Iran has put on the table a different initiatives recently we put on the negotiating table a new initiative, but we think that mr Biden is Facing some kind of inaction I hope that the the American side will act and behave realistically The the subjects is important to us the most important thing is that In the in the return of all the parties to JCPOA We need to we need to benefit from the economic gains of JCPOA the elements of the Trump's a maximum Pressure policy should be removed This is something that mr. Biden said from the very beginning of his presidential campaign You cannot return to JCPOA, but at the same time Iran will be deprived of his Economic gains you cannot return to JCPOA, but the elements and the factors of Trump's a maximum pressure policy are still there Mr. Biden has to choose one of these he has to decide We are very serious about reaching a strong and good and lasting deal and we are committed to it Our nuclear program is totally peaceful. This is the American side that has to make the decision We are keeping the window diplomacy open and we hope that If the Americans have a realistic approach We will get to the point where we can make the deal, but Mr. Faris a career. I have to say that with Some regret and that the national interests of the United States have been taken hostage by designers There are so many reasons to believe so let me ask you about the What what is reported to be the central issue that is the obstacle now the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization the Iranian Republican guards It seems to me from the outside that this is an issue outside of the nuclear deal in other words, there are things that Iran or the revolutionary guard have done which are which are Have triggered this designation rightly or wrongly, but they have nothing to do with the Iran nuclear deal So why allow the issue of the revolutionary guard to interfere with whether or not you push you you go ahead with the the deal if As a person who is responsible for our diplomacy team and negotiating team honestly What what is the hurdle what has caused the pause should I say or a cessation in the talks is that Economic guarantees that we have not come to the point where we can trust the American side the We have not been convinced yet that if on the ground and in action we have not been convinced that We have not seen a behavior that is different from Trump's approach You see We should not diminish things or reduce them to just one Subject FTO thing is is just one level of our talks between us and the Americans Indirectly, but before that there is still remaining issues which are also important We say that we say that the return to JCPOA is that We should the economic natural economic and trade activities of Iran Should become normal and natural In the international sphere, this is important to us We should be able to do so and we have said this to the American side, but unfortunately this FTO thing the Israeli side and made it public magnified it and now this issue is Being portrayed as the main hurdle. This is why I'm telling you clearly that the main obstacle Is that we are not convinced that the people of Iran and we are Going to benefit to fully from the economic against of JCPOA Because this is an important point you're saying that if you had confidence that the US would in fact Way wave remove the sanctions that were put in place By Trump and and as part of the his pulling out of the Iran deal That would that is the core issue You would not let the designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization Become the obstacle you see Mr. Zakaria Since last September when I was in New York and Also recently in the Munich security conference and also on on the path of the indirect talks between my colleague dr. Bagheri and Mr. Enrique Mora and Unofficial exchange of messages We are facing repeatedly This request from the United States Let's see let's sit down and talk directly and settle the remaining issues including FTO I have said that if Mr. Biden is you know, he's he's giving us messages If he really has good intentions and if his intentions are genuine Mr. Biden should show this Underground they asked me how is do you expect him to show this? You just take a look at JCPOA. Okay We are we are having these big nuclear Achievements we have to bring them to a halt. What is that the United States going to do ultimately? They have imposed sanctions on us and they have frozen their assets They are not going to pay anything from us from their own pockets. They're just going to release our own assets Things that were that are rightfully ours. They're going to return them to us They are not going to pay anything from their own pockets at the best scenario This is going to happen So we told them if you're talking about direct talks, then you have to prove to us that you're different from President Trump there is a difference between Biden and Trump. You have to show it to us in practice What we are still feeling here that the the maximum pressure policy of the Trump is it's still being repeated By Biden there are still important issues remaining, but we are but they just we will want to make it simple Okay, you have good intentions. You claim you have good intentions. We are ready. Give us economic guarantees and Remove the elements of the maximum Pressure policy of Trump if you remove these these are the important issues that are the most important issues to us That we have to focus on but in the hewing cry of the media there are things that are raised which are not right let me ask you When you look at relations between the United States and Iran Is there it is there in your view a path to a Real rapprochement better relations You know, you are still representing a country that chants every year death to America that still has slogans plastered on on the walls Painted by the government sponsored by the government that say death to America Do you want to have better relations with America? usually when a new administration comes into power whether in Iran or in the US the first thing that is raised is How the relationship between Taiwan Washington going to be we have said this All the time that we have this specific and clear a principle in our foreign policy secondly and The issue of this relationship between Iran and the US the criterion is the behavior of the American side And over the last 40 years a lot of Indicators have been given to us by the United States that make us Distrust them you see right now. We are involved in intensive Vienna talks, but they are imposing fresh sanctions against Iran by Mr. Biden's team with his Signature against some real entities of Iran or some organizations in Rome. This is like area Maybe for you or for the viewers or the audience here It might be interesting to know that the Americans that have been so extreme in in sanctions that sometimes That sometimes a person's name has been repeated three times This is why the person passed away ten years ago. He doesn't exist anymore. This is like a mania of Sanction mania that the US is facing In order for a relationship between on Washington to get to return to normalcy We are going to decide about it based on the behavior of the US and it is important for any kind of dialogue to have at least some Semblance of trust between the two sides if you return to the the deal And you know this question is being asked in the context of Russian oil Potentially being more more more difficult to get If you were to return to the deal how much oil could Iran pump out a day? First of all, you know that the Islamic Republic over one has a lot of diverse potentialities In the in the field of energy including petrochemicals oil and gas and also in geo Politically and economically in the area of transit east to the west north to the south We are we are enjoying very good infrastructures and very good capacities. I I think the capacities of the son of public of Iran, especially In the post-covid era can come to the serious attention of the whole world less than three Months ago. We we had the we had the Doha summit A kind of gas opaque and my president set forth an initiative there He said that the opportunity of gas should be should be utilized in order to mend the economic shape of the world in an appropriate way and Amongst all the producers and exporters and the consumers of gas in order to revive the economy the global economy We we set forth and Propose very good ideas in that event, but the son of public of Iran When it when it comes to trade and economy we have to get back to our natural status and standing and naturally we don't want to replace others or compete with others we just We just want to use this capacity to help The the global economy both in energy and transit Let me ask you about your relations with the other big Country in the Middle East with which you have had tense relations Saudi Arabia the Saudi foreign minister says that there is a New opening is possible Or some words to that effect. Do you believe Saudi Iranian relations are moving in a in a Strikingly positive direction Some days ago. I was in the United Arab Emirates Mr. Muhammad Ben Zayed and in the new chief of UAE I told him that a lot of things can change But geography cannot change the things that we have in common. They cannot change You see Iran and Saudi Arabia are two major important countries in the region to influential countries in the region We We didn't totally sever our diplomatic ties in a retaliatory move it was the start of the new rule of mr. Malik Salman that it made a decision based on it wasn't a kind of Emotional one and sever ties with Iran not based on logics But we have always remained we have always kept the doors open And if the Saudi Arabia is interested in that to bring it to a normalcy We will welcome it of Are you have they been more positive in recent months? Manfic I think In recent talks especially in the last round that we held we made good progress We also we even agreed that in the near future at the At the level of some officials at the foreign ministers or even the foreign ministers We can have Some meetings in a third country or in another in in a place that is agreed upon mutually The progress is minimal, but good I think so far Made good progress. I think that if if the Saudi Arabia Moves more rapidly then Our relationship can be put back on the normal path We do welcome this the return of our relations To a normal estate and we hope that we will have the the participate with the participation of all the countries of the region and As a result of which we will have more peace and stability in In that very important region of the Middle East Specifically in what has often been called the world's worst humanitarian crisis Certainly until Ukraine was was Yemen Millions of people on the verge of starvation because of a war in which Saudi Arabia backs one side Iran backs the other Is there going to be a Deal I can do you think you and Saudi Arabia will be able to come to a deal to permanently end that conflict we Which regards with regards to Yemeni developments we have always been on the positive side and We believe that all the parties all the Yemeni parties Should play the role in the future of the Yemen not just one faction or one Current or one group of course and sorrow law and his allies in the capital and the north of Yemen over the past years they have been able to stand against an aggression and and Somehow established the safest regions against the terrorists in the in the south They were facing a lot of terrorist Attacks so in the very beginning we thought that we we declared that That the start of the war was something wrong and we believe that the ceasefire has to go on And the human blockade of Yemen should be totally removed all the Yemeni parties should sit around the table and Decide for the future of their country We do will come the continuation of the ceasefire and any progress in those areas Let me ask you about a report that's been out recently about Something that happened 20 years ago in Iran, but it's still important which is the report says that Iran obtained secret documents from the Secret IEA documents international atomic energy agency and used them to systematically and intentionally Lie to the weapon to the inspectors to conceal its nuclear program I ask this because of course so much of this agreement depends on trust and This is the kind of thing that makes people very wary of trust in Iran Um, unfortunately Designists Are spreading a lot of lies This is a scenario That has been repeated Many times before it is fabricated 20 years ago The prime minister the then prime minister of design is regime claimed that Iran Iran is going to have access to nuclear bomb in less than one year 20 years later. We have said this many times That it is not in our beliefs. It is it has no place in our doctoring in our defense or foreign policy nukes have no place After 20 years a lot of inspections are carried out by IAEA And and they have said that Iranians are not after developing a nuclear bomb, but designist regime is repeating this lie In different fashions. Yes In jcpua we come to the point that if the american side Decides realistically then the deal is at hand But this is something that designers don't want to happen. That is why they're coming up with these stories these tales Let me quickly ask you about another hot spot in the region. There are so many ones. We could go on for another half hour, but What do you think is going to happen in syria? Assad is firmly in control, but in firmly in control of only a part of of his of what was syria What is going to happen? What is happening in those other parts and how will this issue get resolved or will will syria essentially permanently be divided now You know that In less than two or three weeks mr. Bashar Assad the president was in turban You know that uh in the war against the terrorists in syria. We helped syria. We helped the people of syria We didn't allow the terrorists To become rulers In syria if daesh or isis Would be brought into power in syria or in iraq the world would be different now We do believe that when it comes to syria There has to be a focus on the political Dialogue and political solution. Yes in edlep In aleppo in edlep The the terrorists are depot there. They are stationed there and they have the support of the americans When I was a deputy The foreign minister in iran and I was in charge of the the file of syria They were they were Making use of the united nations tools So that there will be no harm to the terrorists that there were parts of the strategy of the united states Likewise in in afghanistan intelligence shows that The making and instrumental use of the terrorism is one of the methods that is Used by the intelligence services of the united states is still doing so despite the fact that They're there's in the media. They're Saying that they're fighting against the terrorists But they are not in practice in syria. They have to they have it has to be made make clear What kind of country accepts that one of his Biggest provinces will become a haven for the terrorists. No country Number two the foreign occupation of some parts of syria should come to a stop And on the path of interaction and dialogue the people of syria Should be able to decide about their future We're We are we are against the presence of terrorists in syria and at the same time we believe that through dialogue and political process And getting away from the interferences People should be brought in so that they can decide for the future and this is something that we support the decision made by the people of syria Let me finally we were we're out of time, but I just want one clarification on this very crucial issue of the Revolutionary guards and the deal So my understanding is that whether or not the revolutionary guard are designated as foreign terrorist organization Makes no difference practically. Iran is in any case under under sanctions And has from the united states from the 1980s. There is no additional Sanction that comes with that. There's no additional curtailment of activity. It's a purely symbolic issue So why would you let that? Distract you from whether or not you can get back into the deal Is that you think about it? I think First of all, the america has known very well that if they want to return to jcpoa, what is it that they need to do? They know very well full. Well, what it is required from them president biden knows very well understands very well What does it what does it require? Just the economic He knows very well what he should do the most important thing is that The economic sanctions Need to be lifted in an effective way The most important thing is that the maximum pressure policy Of the Trump era the factors the elements there need to be removed. We are not asking for much But reducing these fundamental things To just one subject and focusing on it. I think I think this is not a good behavior. This is not a good reaction the americans know Very well what the realities are what is happening on the ground and what they should do We have kept the window of diplomacy open And in order to reach a good And lasting deal we are determined. We are serious about it And it has been us the iranian side That has put initiatives on the table and helped the window of diplomacy open but Let me be frank with you. We have intelligence the designers designers regime They have taken the foreign policy of the u.s. Hostage the interest of the u.s. Hostage Mr. Biden should make the decision Does he really want to kill the time Waste the time or does he want to be brave? And stay true To the commitments obligations of the united states under jcpu a We have been the most serious and most honest And we have done the most accurate things, but now It is the amer the united states that has to make the decision and I think if designers lobby Distances itself from the national interests of the u.s. Just a little mr. Biden Will be able to make the decision required for reaching a good deal, but if it doesn't happen You know In iran in the last 40 years We have withstood these pressures and we have other options on the table as well Thank you for the conversation Thank you so much. Thank you very much Thank you