09 Dec 2020; MEMO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said yesterday that his country will not negotiate with the West over its regional policies, Anadolu news agency reported.
"We do not negotiate with Westerners over the region. Their interventions are the basis of the problems. We are always ready for dialogue with our neighbours, and we have translated it into proposing regional security projects in 1986, the Regional Dialogue 2016, and the Hormuz Peace Initiative 2019," Zarif said on Twitter in Arabic.
"Dear neighbors, why ask US/E3 for inclusion in talks with Iran when: a) There won't be ANY talks about OUR region with them as they're the problem themselves. b) We can speak directly about our region without outside meddling," he added in a separate post.
The Iranian minister was remarking on some Arab countries' demand that the United States conclude a new agreement that limits Tehran's regional influence before returning to the 2015 nuclear deal.
In May 2018, the outgoing US President Donald Trump announced Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal concluded between Iran and world powers and reimposed economic sanctions previously lifted under the agreement.
