Khatibzadeh made the remarks in his weekly press conference when asked about Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi’s possible trip to Tehran, saying that the next meeting of the IAEA’s board of governors is a usual one.

He described the relationship between Iran and the IAEA as technical and respectful and hoped that no one would interfere in this relationship, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs heard about Grossi’s trip but was unaware of the timing.

About the delay in the talks for a possible return of the US to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Khatibzadeh underlined that Iran has made it clear that it would continue the talks to ensure full implementation of US commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

Negotiations should serve high interests of Iran and its people which have repeatedly been neglected by US' violations and Europe’s inaction, the spokesman stated.

He also said that the democratic power transition in Iran had been fully done and the new president and his foreign minister have clearly conveyed their messages on the continuation of the talks.

The American side must know that the mentality of former US President Donald Trump would lead nowhere but ‘maximum failure’ and that the US must fully implement the deal to help it revive, he insisted.

Asked about the remarks made by US Iran Representative Robert Malley saying that Washington won’t wait for Tehran forever, the diplomat stressed that this was the US that not only left the deal but also repeatedly violated the UNSCR 2231 and threatened those who wished to implement the resolution.

US officials must be aware of their position, he said, Iran won’t wait for the US forever to pressure Iranian people by illegal sanctions leverage; the window is limited for the US.

Taliban strike on Panjshir Province

Khatibzadeh condemned the Taliban’s last night strikes on Panjshir Province in Afghanistan ‘in the strongest terms’, saying that the death of Afghan leaders was a matter of great sorrow.

Iran is investigating foreign interference in Afghanistan, he said, adding that the issue of Panjshir should be solved through dialog intermediated by all Afghan leaders and all sides should avoid killing each other.

He called on the Taliban to abide by its commitments under the international law, stating that the siege of Panjshir, starving its people, and cutting its power and water, as reported, was a source of concern for Iran.

The spokesman ‘seriously warned’ against breaking redlines and commitments under the international law and stated that Iran was closely watching developments in Afghanistan and keeping contacts in different levels, as Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian had a phone call last night with Afghanistan’s Abdullah Abdullah.

Foreign Ministry efforts to import COVID-19 vaccines

Khatibzadeh said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has managed to facilitated import of 25.3 million doses of coronavirus vaccine from China and millions more in the framework of COVAX program in recent weeks.

About 20 million doses will also be imported in the next three weeks, followed by a few tens of millions of doses in October, he added.

He also said that US sanctions have hampered Iran’s ability to buy COVID-19 vaccines and Iran’s funds couldn’t be received by the COVAX program due to the sanctions.

The diplomat criticized politicization of the coronavirus by the US and some Western countries that impose ‘vaccine apartheid’, instead of making COVID-19 vaccines equally available for all people across the globe.