At the same time, the White House press secretary added that Washington has never assessed Tehran as a positive actor on the world stage.
The US authorities will continue negotiations on the nuclear deal with Iran, despite the new accusations of the US authorities against Tehran. This was announced on Wednesday at a regular briefing by White House press Secretary Jen Psaki.
On Tuesday, the US authorities accused the Iranian special services of organizing a plot to kidnap and export an American journalist outside the United States. According to a statement issued by the federal Prosecutor’s Office for the Southern District of New York, five people have been charged in this case. The journalist lives in New York, she is of Iranian origin. At the briefing, Psaki was asked how this situation will affect the negotiations in Vienna.
“We have never assessed Iran as a positive actor on the world stage <…> At the same time, we still believe that participation in the ongoing discussions is in the interests of the United States, our national interests <…> We will continue these negotiations, we will continue to move forward on a diplomatic path that, I believe, is in our interests and continues to be constructive,” the White House representative replied. In response to a request to comment on the charges themselves, Psaki noted that law enforcement agencies are engaged in this case and the White House cannot express its opinion on specific charges. “
In general, we categorically condemn the dangerous and unworthy plot of Iran to kidnap a US citizen <…>, which was reported. We will resolutely protect the citizens and interests of the United States, this includes actions of law enforcement agencies, such as those announced yesterday,” she added.
