Swiss invitation to Iranian president remains open
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has reiterated the government’s concern about the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and said Iranian President Hassan Rohani is still invited to visit.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Cassis said the invitation to Rohani is still open and the government is awaiting confirmation from Tehran.
The NZZ am Sonntag newspaper reported on April 29 that Rohani’s visit was planned for “the beginning of summer”, at a time when the nuclear deal is under threat and Iran plays an increasing role on the world stage, notably in Syria.
Cassis said it was too early to assess the effects of the US pull-out from the Iran nuclear deal, but that abandoning an agreement on denuclearization was “a mistake”. “We will wait and see how the United States implements sanctions against Iran,” he said. The renewal of sanctions will also have economic consequences for Swiss companies.
+ Read more about the Swiss position on the Iran nuclear deal
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the US was pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran and would reimpose sanctions on companies doing business in Iran. The deal aims to ease trade with Iran and relaunch growth, in exchange for a commitment from Tehran to limit its nuclear activities.
Cassis, who travels to Jordan this weekend, also told the press conference Switzerland is concerned about a possible escalation of violence in the Middles East.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.