“With the new mechanism and given the fact that Americans are now isolated in the international community, no country would support US moves except for some regional regimes, Zarif told the media, upon arrival at Istanbul Atatürk Airport on Monday, to take part at the 6th trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Republic of Azerbaijan and Islamic Republic of Iran.
The mechanism, a so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), is designed to circumvent the sanctions, under which Washington can cut off any bank that facilitates oil transactions with Iran.
The new European Union mechanism will be legally in place in the near future, however, will not be operational so soon, due to US pressures in place, he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif pointed to his meetings with Turkish and Azeri counterparts, saying “the trilateral meetings aims at expanding economic, transit and intellectual cooperation between the three countries and tomorrow I will participate in a tripartite summit together with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan.”
We will take advantage of this opportunity to negotiate with the authorities of Turkey on bilateral and region issues, he added.
In response to a question about the Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance and murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Zarif said “what matters now is that the Turkish government has been able to pursue the issue with tact, neutrality, and precision, and to address the various dimensions of this massacre; we hope Turkey may reach a definitive conclusion over this heinous crime. Unfortunately, in our region, the wrong methods and choices are so widespread that some, like the Zionist regime and the current regime of Saudi Arabia, admit that every crime can be done without worrying about its consequences.”
Foreign minister stressed that “the Zionist regime has been committing crimes against the Palestinian people for 70 years and has been immune from consequences due to the widespread US support. The Saudis backed Saddam Hussein first and then Taliban and ISIL, and now they are killing people in a massive war against Yemen and, unfortunately, no serious international move has been taken.”
In response to another question about the United States’ new sanctions on Iran on 4th of November, Zarif said the experience has proven that the sanctions are more psychological than practical; the psychological effects of US sanctions against Iran has been felt since the day Trump stepped out of JCPOA. It is unlikely to have new stories on November 4, when the second phase of sanctions is going to be operational.
Foreign Minister Zarif is in Istanbul on a working visit to take part at the 6th trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Republic of Azerbaijan and Islamic Republic of Iran.
Turkey’s Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, and Azerbaijan’s Elmar Mammadyarov will meet Zarif today to confer on the current regional developments and global issues.
Source: MEHR News Agency
