Iran to continue negotiations on JCPOA with dignity: Raeisi

Addressing Iranian people in a live TV speech on Saturday evening, President Raeisi discussed the most significant issues including implementing fair payment of subsidies for the provision of basic goods as well as other issues pertaining to the domestic and foreign developments.

This is the sixth time that President Raeisi talks to the people on a live TV program.

In the beginning of his speech, President Raeisi said that his administration is making its utmost efforts in line with solving economic problems facing the noble people of the country with all their all might.

Turning to the Ukraine war, the president said that military operation in Ukraine has overshadowed the food security throughout the world and Iran is no exception to this rule.  

The unprecedented skyrocketing inflation rate overshadowing almost all countries in the world is the result of war broke out between Ukraine and Russia, he said, adding that today, all countries in the world are grappling with high inflation rate in a way that this issue has jeopardized food security to a great extent.

Referring to the shortage of fuel in the world, President Raeisi said that Iran, unlike other countries in the world, has not any problem in the field of fuel supply since the fuel price has increased quadruple in other countries.

He seized this opportunity to express his special thanks to the noble people of the country who cooperated and collaborated with the government and managed to foil sinister plots of enemy waged against Iranian people.

Many countries in the world are now experiencing high inflation rate that they have never experienced before, he restated.

Elsewhere in his remarks, President Raeisi said that 13th government has focused on boosting its trade and economic activities with all countries in the world especially neighboring states.

Neighborhood policy is one of the main priorities of the current administration, he said, adding that the country has witnessed as much as 450 percent trade growth with neighboring states.

Turning to the export of technical and engineering services, President Raeisi said that Iran presently exports technical and engineering services to 180 neighboring countries, valued at half a billion dollars.

Iran’s relations with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS (emerging economies of countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is very important in a way that Iran can link BRICS countries to energy checkpoints.

Raeisi then pointed to the removal of sanctions imposed by the Western countries against Iran and said that the United States and European countries involved in nuclear talks unfortunately issued anti-Iranian draft resolution in the midst of negotiations which runs contrary to the international laws.

Regarding the visit of EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, he said that Iran will pursue the process of negotiation with dignity.  

"We will pursue the lifting of sanctions and they must be lifted as soon as possible because these sanctions are cruel and the other parties must live up to their commitments under JCPOA," President Raeisi added.