Referring to the visit of South Korean officials to Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that Iran wants its frozen assets to be returned quickly.







Speaking in his weekly press conference on Monday,�Saeed Khatibzadeh answered questions on a wide range of topics.

Iran not to be captured by�artificial pressures�of the bankrupt elements over Ukrainian Plane incident

"We had good talks in two rounds with Ukraine, where good technical issues were discussed," said�Khatibzadeh, adding, "The third round was scheduled for November 2020 in Ukraine, but despite numerous follow-ups, the Ukrainian side has not yet specified the exact date."

"The approach of some countries and the arrival of some known bankrupt elements shows that some seek to politicize this issue and do not seek to resolve it," he noted.

"Iran raised the issue of payments in two rounds of talks with Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side did not cooperate," he added.

He highlighted, "Despite the fact that this unfortunate and tragic event has taken place, Iran, as a responsible government and in a technical and independent framework, will pursue and respond to this issue and will not be captured by the politicization and artificial pressures of the bankrupt elements."

"We are accountable to the victims and to international organizations," he stressed.

Europe is US�partner in violation of JCPOA

Regarding the European Troika statement on Iran's 20% enrichment, Khatibzadeh said, "Not only did these countries fail to fulfil their responsibilities, but they were the US's partner in violating the JCPOA."

"These countries completely know what Iran is doing today over the reduction of its obligations are under the JCPOA�and within the framework of Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA," he added.

"It is better for these countries to return to fulfilling their obligations," he stressed, adding, "When�Europe and the United States return to fulfilling their commitments, we will return to our commitments."

Iran condemns US sanctions on head of�Iraqi PMU�Falih al-Fayyadh�

Khatibzadeh condemned the US move to impose sanctions on the head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Force (Hashd al-Shaabi) Falih al-Fayyadh, saying that this move is not only condemned but also doomed to failure and indicates the unfavorable situation of the United States in the West Asian region.

FM Zarif, South Korean official to review seizure of ship, Iranian frozen assets

Khatibzadeh said that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the South Korean deputy foreign minister are to hold talks later in the day on the seizure of the ship and the Iranian frozen assets.

He also added that a South Korean official has conferred with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the above -mentioned issues on Saturday.

US partner in Saddam Hussein's chemical crimes against Iran

In reaction to Pompeo's claim about the use of chemical weapons by Iran, he highlighted, "The United States is the country that tried to blame Iran for the Halabja tragedy when it happened, but they knew very well what crime Saddam had committed against Iran and our dear Kurds.�This is the country that in the last days is doing its best to distort the facts."

"The United States is a partner in Saddam Hussein's chemical crimes against Iran and our country is a major victim of chemical weapons," he stressed.

Korean ship�seized for polluting marine environment

In reaction to�French and American interventionist statements about the seizure of South Korean ship, he said, "I call on France to respect international law.�The Korean ship was seized due to the pollution of the marine environment in the Persian Gulf�with a previous warning and a court order, and it was a completely technical matter."

"Those who seek to politicize the issue are going in the wrong direction," he added.

Economic cooperation main issue for Iran, Syria

He also pointed to�the barriers to investment of Iran in Syria, said, "One of the areas of cooperation with Syria is economic cooperation. In the field of economic cooperation, the foreign ministry�is only a facilitator, and other agencies have the main responsibilities under the law.

Stating�that frequent meetings have taken place between the officials of Iran and Syria, Khatibzadeh said, "One of the most important topics of the Syrian Foreign Minister's visit to Iran was economic cooperation."

Militarization of Caucasus region�a mistake

Referring to the start of the construction of three military bases in the Republic of Azerbaijan by Turkey, he said, "We welcomed what happened in the agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia. In this agreement, Baku and Yerevan seek to demilitarize the region and establish a rational relationship."

"Any action that helps this issue is considered a right action and any wrong action is considered unconstructive," he added.