Tehran (IP) - Reacting to US Secretary of State Pompeo's remarks, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran has said that unilateral sanctions have not been successful.

Iran PressIran news: In his live press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, answered the questions raised by reporters, while explaining the latest developments in the area of foreign policy.

In response to a question about the lifting of Iran's arms embargo, Khatibzadeh said: "It was a great victory for the resistance and the Iranian nation. What happened yesterday was the repeal of resolutions that our friends Russia and China also voted in favor of lifting the arms embargo on Iran. The Western and US sides were basically reluctant to talk about arms embargoes, and it was the first step that Iran said it would not negotiate regarding the arms embargo."

Regarding foreign policy developments over the past week, he stated: "On October 13th, Zarif had a telephone call with his Japanese counterpart regarding bilateral, regional, and international issues. The issue of Iran's access to its financial resources in Japan was one of the serious issues in this consultation, and we hope that the Japanese side will fulfill its obligations in the international legal system."

Referring to the visit of Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the Supreme National Reconciliation Council of Afghanistan, the spokesman said: "He had a detailed meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other meetings with Iranian officials are planned and the focus of all meetings is developments in Afghanistan, intra-Afghan talks and so on. Tehran's message is the same as it was from the beginning, we consider the independent and developed Afghanistan to be in the benefit of the whole region, and in this regard, we have done our best and we think that the Islamic Republic of Iran can be an effective help to genuine intra-Afghan dialogue from the government, various groups, and the Taliban."

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Asked about the bullets fired from the clashes between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, the official said: "Our red line is the security of the citizens. Some explanations from the other side have been heard and have not been accepted, and we have said that any attack on Iran will be answered."

Khatibzadeh noted that Iran is following developments on its borders with the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia with concern.

Reacting to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks, Khatibzadeh said: "Statements show that unilateral sanctions have not been successful."

The spokesman commented on US President Donald Trump's remarks that it would be more difficult if Iran wanted to negotiate with the United States after the election, saying: "We have responded to the Trump and US position on negotiations. Nothing will change until the United States realizes that its policies and programs against the Iranian people have failed."

"Iran has changed its defense policy over the past five years, neither the development of its missile program nor its regional goals," he said, adding that these restrictions ended yesterday. Of course, American pressure is in place. The United States is trying to exert maximum pressure not on weapons but on medicine and supplies needed by the Iranian people.

Khatibzadeh noted: "What they are afraid of is Iran's return to the vast technology market and the export of arms items. 90% of Iran's defense needs are produced domestically. Iran has more export potential than the purchase market. Iran is not like the United States.

Saeed Khatibzadeh in his weekly press conference on Monday, referring to the coronavirus outbreak in different parts of the world, said: "Once again, COVID-19 has taken over the world from east to west, from Europe to America, and we hope to overcome the disease and its wave with the cooperation, empathy, and gratitude of the services of the medical staff."

The spokesman also said about Zarif's trip to Europe: "Zarif's trips to foreign countries are subject to a certain criterion in the current situation."

He described Governor of Central Bank of Iran Abdol-Naser Hemmati's visit to Iraq in line with the agreements reached between the Central Bank of Iran and Iraq and described the visit as successful.

Referring to the talks of the Ukrainian delegation with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, he said: "A very unfortunate incident happened and it is Iran's duty to realize the rights of the victims and compensate for this issue. Canada is not part of it.

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