Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis declared Monday (September 7th) that he had had a “
fruitful discussion
” in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on issues relating to “
peace
” and “
human rights
” in particular.
Mr. Zarif welcomed for his part in a message on Twitter the "
excellent discussions
" he said he had with his host on "
bilateral, regional and planetary issues
".
Read also: Nuclear: inspectors had access to one of the two sites in Iran
Mr. Cassis, whose country has represented American interests in Tehran since the breakdown of diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic and the United States in 1980, is due to end a three-day visit to Iran on Tuesday.
This was placed under the sign of the celebration of the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Swiss Confederation and what was then known internationally as Persia.
"
The trip (of Mr. Cassis to Iran) does not concern (relations between) Iran and the United States
", towards which "
our policy (...) has not changed
", Iranian foreign spokesperson Said Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been exacerbated since US President Donald Trump unilaterally denounced in May 2018 the international Iranian nuclear agreement concluded in Vienna in 2015. The two countries have twice appeared on the brink of war since June 2019. Mr. Cassis, who met the head of Iranian diplomacy early in the morning, is to be received Tuesday by President Hassan Rouhani.
“
Peace, economic development and human rights - fruitful discussion with my counterpart (Mohammad Javad) Zarif,
” he wrote on Twitter without giving further details.
"American sabotages"
On September 2, human rights organization Amnesty International released a report on Iran denouncing what it describes as widespread use of torture and ill-treatment to obtain confessions and convictions from those arrested. during the crackdown that followed three days of unrest in around 100 cities in November 2019, after the announcement of a surprise increase in the price of gasoline.
Mr. Cassis also welcomed the establishment of the "
Swiss humanitarian channel allowing the transfer of food products and medical equipment to the Iranian people
".
Formalized in January after an agreement between Bern and Washington, this mechanism has so far only allowed two deliveries of this type, made by Swiss companies, and Mr. Khatibzadeh said he hoped that it could gain momentum.
Although theoretically not targeted by the unilateral sanctions reinstated by Washington against Iran after the American denunciation of the Vienna agreement, such exchanges are in fact practically impossible given the reluctance of the banks to take responsibility for them out of fear. retaliation in the United States.
Saying to appreciate “
Switzerland's efforts to mitigate American sabotage
”, Mr. Zarif nevertheless judged on Twitter that “
priority
” should be given to a return to normal trade for Iran.
The return of American sanctions plunged Iran, from the second half of 2018, into a violent recession from which the country was struggling to emerge and led to a virtual drying up of oil exports from the Islamic Republic, which constituted the bulk of its budgetary resources. .
