Iran is strongly against shameful acts of Quran desecration that occurred in Europe, a continent that claims to be civilized, Nasser Kanaani told reporters in his weekly press briefing in Tehran on Monday.
The heinous act has insulted the two billion Muslims and the divine and Abrahamic religions in the world, the spokesman underlined, adding that the act was "unacceptable".
The Islamic Republic of Iran once again calls on the governments of the countries where those shameful acts took place to prevent the repetition of such moves and to deal with the criminals or hand them over to the Islamic countries.
The Swedish police authority allowed Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old man of Iraqi origin, to burn a copy of the holy Quran and the Iraqi flag in Stockholm on two occasions in recent weeks.
A similar incident also happened in Denmark last week.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that mere condemnation of the sacrilege of the holy Quran by the Swedish government is not enough and that the European government should turn over the perpetrators of the heinous act for prosecution in Muslim countries.
US responsible for destroying JCPOA
In his remarks, the spokesman referred to the US unilateral withdrawal from the July 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, aka Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), while describing the United States as the one which is chiefly responsible for destroying the international agreement.
The US under the presidency of Donald Trump pulled out of JCPOA in May 2018 and imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran believes that changes in administrations should not affect the US commitments, said Kanaani while stressing that if Washington has a political will, a return to the nuclear deal will be possible.
Objectives of Iran deputy FM's visit to Poland
Elsewhere, Kanaani pointed to a recent visit of the Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani to Poland, saying the visit took place to respond to a joint willingness between the two countries toll expand their ties.
He went on to say that grounds are prepared for the continuation of bilateral talks between Iran and Poland.,
Iran welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks
Commenting on the Caucasus peace talks, Kanaani said that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve lasting peace in the region.
Iran is also ready to use its capacity for establishing sustainable peace in the Caucasus region, he added.
Iran-Armenia ties
Kanaani also referred to an upcoming trip by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to Tehran, saying that the visit can enhance bilateral relations.
He said that that Mirzoyan will meet his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian later on Monday.
The official went on to say that there are various fields of cooperation between Iran and Armenia, including on energy, transit, economic and consular exchanges, adding that good negotiations are expected to take place between the two sides.
SNSC chief visit to South Africa
Referring to the ongoing visit of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali-Akbar Ahmadian to South Africa, he said that Ahmadian is to attend the National Security Advisors (NSA) meeting of the BRICS group of emerging economies.
Regarding Iran’s membership in BRICS, Kanaani said that Iran has been among first countries that applied for membership in this group, adding that BRICS member generally agree with Iran's membership in the bloc.
Iran's blocked funds in other states
The diplomat pointed to Iran’s blocked funds in some states, noting that Iran will do its best to protect and return those funds.
Iran continues negotiations with various countries, including South Korea, Kanaani said about the funds, adding that officials in Seoul have recently vowed to make efforts to return the funds.
He said Iranian authorities are hopeful to see the funds are returned.
According to the spokesman, the US administration recently said that it had permitted Iraq to return a part of the Iranian fund, adding that Tehran is pursuing the case until Iraq pays its debts to Iran.
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