TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) -- Taha Hashemi, the managing director of the Iranian daily Entekhab, said here Wednesday that the Tehran Declaration, in which Iran announced that it would sign the additional protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), foiled a plot by the United States, the Zionist regime, and certain European countries to form an alliance against Iran.

Hashemi told the Mehr News Agency that the agreement Iran reached after the talks held in Tehran between the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain and Iranian officials reassured Iran’s friends and allies and further isolated the Zionist regime due to its anti-Iran stance.

He stated that European countries have not made efforts to unite against Iran since the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, adding that many countries, the Zionist regime in particular, attempted to take advantage of the recent situation to form an alliance against the Islamic Republic.

He went on to say that Iran made the final decision quite late and should have taken the measure after European countries sent a letter asking Iran to hold talks with them.

“However, the agreement is useful due to the intense pressure imposed on the country by the U.S. and the fact that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are a serious concern for many countries that have signed such conventions and protocols,” he said.

Hashemi stated that the three European countries will undoubtedly continue play a significant role in the international arena in the future, stressing that the agreement will not harm Iran’s interests.

He added that two important issues were mentioned in the agreed statement: the removal of the 25-year-old technological sanctions on Iran and a guarantee of the security and sovereignty of the country.

Hashemi said that Iran had never declared at any point in time that it would not sign the additional protocol but had asked for assurances that were taken into account in the agreed statement made in Tehran.