De-escalation of tensions with US Iran's priority: Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that seeking de-escalation of tensions with the US is among Iran's foreign policy priorities.

The top Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a meeting with members of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"De-escalation of tensions and tension management with the US are among the Foreign Ministry's priorities," Zarif said while elaborating on the his ministry's programmes for the second term in office of President Hassan Rouhani.

"We want peace among countries and we do not want tension," Zarif said.

He made the remarks after the US administration led by President donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Iran, which Tehran slammed as a violation of the Iranian-US nuclear agreement.

Talking about the nuclear deal, under which the US had eased economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for its commitment to peaceful use of nuclear energy, Zarif said that the US cannot prevent Iran from benefiting from the agreement.

The Iranian-US nuclear agreement, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in July last year after years of tough negotiations on the controversial Iranian nuclear program.

Zarif said that the Iranian Foreign Ministry is committed to defend Iran interests enshrined in the nuclear deal, adding that the US itself will pay the costs of its potential termination.

The minister also said that the big number of foreign delegations attending Rouhani's inauguration ceremony on Saturday means that the policy of isolating Iran has failed and the Iranophobia plot has been foiled.

--IANS

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