Iran vows to take tit-for-tat action against Europe’s ‘meddling’ in its domestic affairs

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has urged European countries to refrain from taking “meddlesome” actions, warning that Tehran would respond in kind to any interference in its domestic affairs.

“We invite the European [countries] to be rational… They must know that they are talking about Iran, a powerful and responsible country,… and a country that, in case of a logical and rational behavior [from Europeans], can be the most important partner for restoring peace and stability in the region,” Nasser Kan’ani said at a press conference on Monday.

He warned that Tehran would take “a reciprocal and proportional action” in case of interference in its internal affairs.

His remarks come before an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg to discuss Iran’s approach toward the recent riots across the country.

Protests erupted in Iran after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, died in hospital three days after she collapsed in police custody. The protests were soon derailed and were turned violent by extremist elements.

An official report published earlier this month said Amini’s death had been caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

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‘JCPOA can still be revived’

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kan’ani touched upon the talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. He said the talks have not been removed from the agenda of the Islamic Republic.

“There are grounds for the revival of the agreement,” he said, making clear that reaching a pact hinges on the political will of the US.

The United States, under former President Donald Trump, abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and reinstated unilateral sanctions that the agreement had lifted.

The talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump, with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

Washington has recently used the unrest in Iran as a pretext to further delay serious discussions on reviving the JCPOA, with US State Department Ned Price saying that the revival of the JCPOA is “not our focus right now.”

Kan’ani also slammed the US for hindering the implementation of a prisoner swap deal and tying the issue with the revival of the JCPOA.

“Iran has stressed that the issue of prisoners is a political issue and has nothing to do with the JCPOA. We hope, with the right decision of America, we would see the release of prisoners, especially Iranian prisoners.”

Iran has repeatedly urged Washington to release Iranian nationals who have been taken hostage on baseless charges of bypassing US sanctions, decrying the US for tying the humanitarian issue with the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal.

‘Iran provided no weaponry to Russia’

Commenting on alleged reports of the use of Iranian drones by Russia in its offensive on Ukraine, the spokesman reiterated Iran “has not provided weaponry to any of the [warring] parties.”

He stated that the published news has political motives, reiterating Iran’s support for a political solution to the conflict.

Kiev and many of its Western allies have accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has previously rejected the accusation and “emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not and will not provide any weapon to be used in the war in Ukraine.” 

“We believe that the arming of each side of the crisis will prolong the war,” Amir-Abdollahian said in a call with his Portuguese counterpart Joao Gomes Cravinho.

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