UN chief hails Iran gov. for initiatives in foreign policy

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the comments in a meeting with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York on Sunday.

In the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian informed Guterres about the trends and good progress achieved in Iran's relations with its neighbors and some Arab and Islamic countries.

Referring to the recent prisoner swap with the United States and the release of Iran's frozen assets in South Korea, the Iranian foreign minister said, "We always have good consultations with you about the JCPOA. The exchange of messages with the US continues and the Sultan of Oman's plan is still on the table, and if the other parties are ready, we are serious about returning to the JCPOA so that all parties return to their commitments in the JCPOA within the framework of the Oman initiative."

The minister also said regarding cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that, "Whenever the agency operates within the technical framework, things are moving in the right direction. But things go awry when others prioritize their political views over the agency's professional affairs."

Amir-Abdollahian said that nuclear bomb has no place in Iran's doctrine.

He further said in another part of his statement that, "Raeisi presented some initiatives in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. One of the important parts of his speech was related to the necessity of protecting the foundation of the family and it is necessary to have a mechanism in the framework of the United Nations in the field of protecting the basis of the family."

Regarding the crisis in Ukraine, the top Iranian diplomat explained Iran's principled positions and said that, "We are committed to preserving the territorial integrity of countries, including Ukraine, and we do not consider war as a solution."

UN Secretary-General Guterres, for his part, expressed his satisfaction with this meeting and thanked the Iranian minister for sharing the information about the Iranian foreign policy with him.

He said that he had a good meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi.

Guterres added, "I thank you for your diplomatic initiatives in resolving problems, removing obstacles and developing relations with other countries."