IRNA � An outstanding Iranian International Law expert Yussef Molaie believes the meetings Iranian president Hassan Rouhani will have on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will be highly important for Iran.


Molaie made the comment in an interview with IRNA on the eve of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani's visit to New York next week to attend the UN General Assembly to outline Iran's stances on diversified global issues, especially US' recent disloyalty to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is an international treaty.

The president will also have meetings and talks with officials of other countries on the UNGA sidelines.

Rouhani's address to the UNGA will concern the US' JCPOA withdrawal, the EU's commitment to continue sticking to the Accord, which is also known as Iran Deal, and the need for Iran to benefit from the JCPOA.

The Iranian expert in the interview with IRNA commented on the president's New York visit, and key international issues and other recent hot points like Iran's accession to FATF, the country's lawsuit against US at the Hague and White House's breaching the JCPOA and its issuing illegal pressures and sanctions against Iran.

Molaie said the president's New York visit is a choice for diplomatic exploitation and gain maximum benefits. 'A careful assessment is needed so as to determine how the issue can help remove international impediments and being about a breakthrough for relations with certain countries. Undoubtedly, the meetings to be held on the sidelines are more important than the UNGA.'

He said, 'To benefit such presence, careful planning is needed. Of course, there are certain individuals who believe the UNGA issues are repeated and procedural, not having any executive effect and will not be influential in changing countries' stances.'

He added that the meetings to be held on the sidelines can provide a good chance.

The expert said the US will have decisive role in the international meeting as Iran is in tension with the country. 'Our policy is in contrast with such internationally unfair order and the US also tries to widen the scope of its influence in such organizations; we should wait and see how we can meet the interests of Iranian people through such realities and in such an environment.'

He said it is important to deal with highly important basic problems and the meetings the president will have on the UNGA sidelines can provide more atmosphere of friendship, thus helping untie economic knots.

He went on to say that the EU wants to have a share in Iranian market in competition with the US and China, so having more role in the talks with Iran. 'It is important for them as well to remain committed in the JCPOA and have their interests in the deal met. We should accept that Europe has a real will; however, we should see to what extent Europeans can pay the cost of realizing such a will. They try to pave the way for presence of their small- and medium-size companies in Iran but cannot cut ties with the US at the same time. We and our diplomatic organ should deal with the issue realistically. We should see which measures Europe can take to keep the JCPOA. The talks also should be held with an aim to gain maximum benefits.'

Considering ties, Iran should give necessary weight to such countries as Russia, China and Turkey, he added. 'Russians have some interests in the region which overlap ours'. We should form the ties on the same basis. Let's not forget that both countries face the US sanctions and are concerned with the US influence. They wish to confront the US greed but at the same time we may get apart; so we should be prepared.'

As for FATF, he said Iran cannot remain a player in the global community with a closed eye. 'We should identify the present standards worldwide and observe them � because we have to have international financial activity; so we should admit the standards as well; restricting the activities will result in pressures on the public.'
To the end of the interview, the expert said the complaint against the US at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a political choice.

He said, 'Our experts know pretty well how much they can count on the Court.'

'The US has re-activated the sanctions suspended as a result of the JCPOA; so doing, it has violated international laws and regulations and we had to do such a thing. We would have failed to gain a result through the UN and no other mechanism had been predicted for settlement of differences; international forums are not necessarily capable to confront the JCPAO violation by the US. The only option the experts found for the purpose was lodging judicial complaint against the US at the Hague.'

To gain a result from the lawsuit will take several years, he added. 'Even if a ruling is issued, it would not be able to force the US to obey. Iran has called for temporary suspension of sanctions until when final ruling is issued; the US sanctions dealt damage on us and the Court should issue temporary ruling for their suspension.'

'Lodging the complaint, we look for a global diplomacy so as to prove our righteousness through international standards. If the ruling is issued in Iran's favor, Europe will have better condition for cooperation with us.'