Iran FM: Talks Will Continue Despite US Sanctions

Process 'Derailed But Not Dead'

In a posting made today via Facebook, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif confirmed that the ongoing P5+1 talks with Iran would resume, despite recent US sanctions which halted the talks on Friday.

The US announced the sanctions late last week, targeting companies trading with Iran. The argument was that this technically didn’t violate a pledge not to impose new sanctions on Iran, though Iran withdrew from the talks at the time and Russia termed the US move a violation of the “spirit” of the pact.

In an interview, Zarif said the sanctions had “derailed” the process briefly, but that it was not dead, and that Iran remained committed to getting the talks back on the right track.

“We are committed to the plan of action and the implementation of Geneva – but we believe it takes two to tango,” added Zarif. The US has not commented on the talks since, but no new sanctions are expected for at least a few weeks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.