Iran Press/Iran news: Saeed Khatibzadeh, on Monday in a weekly press conference, which was held online, answered reporters' questions.
At the beginning of the meeting, Saeed Khatibzadeh while expressing his condolences on Fatimiyya days, congratulated the birth of Jesus Christ to all Christians.
He referred to the traveling of Hamdullah Moheb, Afghanistan National Security Advisor, adding: "We invite all Afghan groups to engage in comprehensive and intra-Afghan dialogue that will lead to a lasting solution to the conflict in Afghanistan."
Referring to the meeting of foreign ministers of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) member states, he said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized the commitments of the other side and the latest situation was discussed in this informal meeting."
He went on to answer the question regarding the arrival of an Iraqi delegation in Iran and the purpose of the trip noting that this visit took place and the advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister came to Iran, and we had regular and close contacts with the Iraqi officials in various fields which are common between two countries.
In response to a question about Muqtada al-Sadr's remarks that Iran should not turn Iraq into a place of conflict with the United States, and what was the purpose of the recent rocket attacks on the Green Zone in Iraq? He said: "I said last week that in our opinion, attacks on diplomatic and residential premises are completely rejected. Iranian diplomatic facilities in Iraq have been attacked several times. What Trump has said and what Pompeo has said is both condemned and rejected, and the nature, timing, and content of these statements and tweets are questionable and mischievous. We have made our message clear, while we do not seek tension, we defend the interests and national security of Iran with all our might.
He added: "The United States is responsible for any consequences regarding to these tensions and those who conspire against Iran. Iran has never been willing to resolve its differences in another region. The United States has made the countries of our region bases of insecurity against Iran. Neighboring countries have a sovereign duty to act responsibly in the face of these White House mischievous measures. We have no doubts about self-defense within the framework of a responsible country and international law."
Iran provided to Ukraine, other involved parties with information
Regrading the Ukrainian government's claim that this country had not received anything report yet about the plane crash, the spokesman noted that the Civil Aviation Authority has acted as a responsible body and last week online video was provided to Ukraine and other involved parties.
They will be officially provided a translation today or tomorrow. These are not things to politicize. Our friends in Ukraine must know that the best way is legal solutions. The technical report is carefully prepared and presented last week and will be provided to them today or tomorrow with official translations. We hope to alleviate some of the grief of the families in the right direction and fulfill our responsibility as a responsible government.
The spokesman regarding the French Foreign Ministry's statement that Iran's steps to reduce Iran's commitments in JCPOA have jeopardized Europe's efforts to return to the agreement said: "The informal meeting of the remaining foreign ministers in the JCPOA was decided after the Joint Commission. Because it was an informal meeting, it was more about the developments. Europe is a partner in violating the JCPOA.
He stated: "Europe is responsible for the non-implementation of the JCPOA. This is the last chance for the European Union. We have said that whenever the other parties effectively fulfill their obligations, Iran will take back all five steps.
The spokesman said: "It is a bitter irony that some representatives of democracy in the West are asking us not to adhere to democratic frameworks. We are enforcing the ratifications, and this is a strange request. Our message is clearly stated that the schedules set forth in the JCPOA have been met. The responsibilities of many events in the region are rooted in the arms trade and the influx of deadly weapons into some countries in the region.
We will bring assassins to justice
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Iran would not stop pursuing all who were complicit until we bring them to justice.
Pointing out that we are on the eve of the martyrdom anniversary of Lt. Gen. Soleimani, the most peace-making general in the region, Saeed Khatibzadeh said: "Extremism does not fail except with the bravery and pure bloods of the martyrs. As Lt. Gen. Soleimani said, "we are a nation of martyrdom". I congratulate and condole this martyrdom to the great nation of Iran."
He stated that Lt. Gen. Soleimani was not only the commander of IRGC's Quds Force, but he was also one of the pillars of regional balance and the most peace-making figure in the region who had relations with the leaders of different countries.
The spokesman noted that the United States made a huge strategic mistake. More than 800 articles and various topics have been published in the print media, and more than 180 interviews have been conducted in this regard.
"We held the United States accountable, and the most important goal was to counter what the United States has done with impunity. We will not stop pursuing all who were complicit until we bring them to justice," he pointed.
Khatibzadeh underlined: "We will pursue this issue in the courts and international bodies after January 20. Above all activities in all meetings and letters, the foreign minister devoted a large part to pursue this demand. There was no meeting, letter, or phone call that Zarif did not speak about this. If the UN special rapporteur called this a terrorist operation, it was because the Foreign Ministry sent a detailed report to the United Nations."
"We will not allow the blood of the martyr to be trampled and those who did so to be spared punishment. We will pursue this issue at the highest levels. The US government is responsible in this regard," he concluded.
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