UK favors to improve economic ties with Iran: PM aide

By Trend

An aide to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that London is seeking constructive relations with Tehran and wants to expand economic cooperation with it, Trend reports citing IRNA.

The aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the comment at a press briefing in response to a question by IRNA.

The question was this: What is the prospect of Britain’s normalizing trade ties with Iran after it paid its long-running debt, worth nearly 400 million pounds, to the Islamic Republic last month?

London “is seeking constructive relations” with Tehran, the British official responded, adding that Britain wants a final agreement to be reached in Vienna "so that we are able to enhance our economic ties with Iran".

The agreement in Vienna refers to the accord to revive the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA.

The JCPOA was thrown into disarray in May 2018 when the US unilaterally pulled out of it and reinstated sanctions on Iran, making it difficult for countries to do business with the Islamic Republic.

Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA have been engaged in talks in Vienna to revive the deal since April last year, with Tehran insisting that the sanctions must be fully removed in a verifiable manner.