“Iran is ready to launch cooperation with France in a wide variety of sectors,” Head of Iran’s Strategic Research Center and Leader's senior adviser Ali Akbar Velayati made the remarks at a meeting with the French envoy to Syria Frank Jollier.
“Both countries enjoy rich cultures and histories and Iranians associate France with West Europe since Iran’s first interactions with the new Europe were made with the French,” he underlined.
Velayati later asserted that Tehran and Paris held age-old history of ties as evidenced in today’s friendly relations between the two countries.
He welcomed similar meetings and stressed on territorial integrity of Syria as well as the need to prevent any destruction by international countries.
He voiced optimism that Syrian people will soon overcome all difficulties; “Americans have built military bases in Syria and are after its division though they are bound to fail as they did in Iraq.”
Leader’s advisor on international affairs, while stating that Iraqi people and army were competent in the face of ISIL terrorists, asserted that Iran played no role in Kirkuk operation and that majority of Iraqi Kurds were opposed to ambitious measures of Masoud Barzani.
“As the world saw, the Iraqi government took control of the region almost without clashes or struggles,” noted the official urging Barzani to accept his mistake and try to make up for it.
In response to Iran’s reaction to Western sides’ statements of the JCPOA, Velayati maintained that “it proves unacceptable for us to hear that West approves of the N-deal on the one hand and calls for negotiation regional and missile issue with Iran on the other.”
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) cannot be subjected to anything,” underscored Velayati adding “the deal holds no conditions and needs to continue as it was signed by Iran and the 5+1 group of countries.”
Iran is present in the region and preserves the right to launch cooperation with those neighbors with whom it holds several commonalities.
“Americans are never allowed to decide upon presence or non-presence of Iran inside the region,” highlighted the official explaining that the Iraqi government was in charge of its own country and Iran’s advisory presence in Iraq and Syria is only done at official request of these states.
He later stressed that Donald Trump and the US President had failed to implement the JCPOA properly as they extended sanctions against Iran.
Emphasizing the significance of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to Iran, Ali Akbar Velayati noted that Trump was an unpredictable person and was never allowed to make decisions for IRGC.
