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Andrew Michel, who was from 2010 to 2012 in charge of the British Department for International Development (DFID) meanwhile reiterated that the sequence of Iran or US return to their JCPOA commitments should not be regarded as a serious obstacle in efforts aimed at putting JCPOA back on the rail.
Michel in the exclusive interview with IRNA reflected his viewpoints on current developments at the international scene, Iran-Britain relations, current Mideast regional status, and developments in JCPOA status after coming to power of the new US administration.
“Iran is a country with an ancient history and that is why throughout my presence at the House of Commons I have favored improvement of bilateral ties,” said the head of the British parliamentary friendship group.
The British MP meanwhile noted that he has always been among the supporters of the nuclear deal with Iran and deeply regretted the unilateral US exit from it.
He expressed hope that the new US president Joe Biden will take a serious step towards both the revival and further fortifying the JCPOA, along with improvement of the Iran-US troubled relations.
“The Iran-Britain ties, are all the same, on the verge of drastic improvement,” he predicted.
Iran-Britain parliamentary trips ahead after Corona pandemic
The former DFID minister said that both countries’ parliamentarians, including himself, will find opportunities to visit each other’s capitals after the Corona pandemic.
On JCPOA at its current status, the British MP said that although it is not a perfect deal, it had provided an opportunity both for the international society and for Iran to promote international peace.
“It was a great pity that the United States unilaterally breached the nuclear deal, and I hope to keep in mind President Biden’s will to return the US to the JCPOA, we will also be witnesses to the improvement of Iran-US relations, as I believe his gesture is a positive move in that direction,” he assumed.
The IRNA correspondent referred to the joint statement of the three EU countries on IRNA’s violation of its JCPOA commitments, under such conditions that Iran had practically been deprived of all the benefits of the nuclear deal while being the only side that was fully complying by its restrictions.
“The important point is that all agreement sides will return to the negotiation table, express their concerns, and draw a roadmap for taking future steps, since negotiations are the only best way for the improvement of the status,” said Michel.
IRNA referred to 14 reports by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Iran’s full appliance to its JCPOA commitments, and yet the US president’s insistence that Iran should take the first step towards the nuclear deal’s revival.
The head of Britain-Iran Friendship Group said that the Iranian and American diplomats can well manage a way out of that problem, as the sequence of steps, he believes, cannot be a serious obstacle in the way.
On mediation bid of three EU member countries of the JCPOA as well as the French President Emanuel Macron’s proposal to mediate as a trustworthy mediator, the British MP evaluated them as positive moves, indicating the West’s belief that negotiations and achieving new conclusions based on the former agreement are the best thing to do.
***Noteworthy improvement towards detent observed in Mideast
Michel said that the improvements observed in the Middle East towards detent are noteworthy and positive, but relatively slow since every country is currently engaged in an international campaign against the Corona pandemic.
The British MP meanwhile expressed hope that progress in the Iran nuclear deal will contribute to resolving the Yemen catastrophe, stressing, “I have always been a serious opponent of the UK government’s support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen war that has led to a most severe human catastrophe in the region.”
He, all the same, said that he has never favored ending arm and munition sales to Saudi Arabia, although his country’s restrictions on arms sales are one of the most severe in the world.
***Iran’s Hormuz Peace Proposal praiseworthy
On IRI President Hassan Ruhani’s initiative on regional negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace, titled the ‘Hormuz Peace Proposal: Hope Coalition’, Michel welcomed the initiative as “praiseworthy,” reiterating that any initiative of that kind that promotes peace, is welcome.
On hooligan supporters of former US President Donald Trump’s invasion against their country’s parliament, the British MP said that as Churchill had once said, democracy is the worst type of governance, but the rest are all worse than that.
“I had never been a supporter of Donald Trump, consider his tenure as the worst four years in US and world history, and believe Biden’s victory is the victory of the democracy, that will hopefully lead to the establishment of stability, and fortify the international rule and order,” he said.
On the possibility of improvement of Iran-West relations under the new US administration, he said, “The past events have proved that predictions in this respect are not possible. Yet, it seems as though the new US administration is at least an opportunity for relative improvement of the Iran-US relations, although the extent of both sides’ taking advantage of this opportunity in practice is highly questionable.”
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