Tehran, Feb 7, IRNA – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said if Western countries intend to settle the dispute over Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, “grounds are completely prepared”.
“But if they are to exert pressure on Iran, Tehran would never enter any talks under pressure much less to enter any agreements,” Zarif told reporters on a plane returning from a four-nation tour to the East Africa.
“The nuclear talks have currently reached the phase of discussing detailed technical issues. Today we talk about enrichment, the rate of enrichment and the best efficiency of centrifuges based on their arrangement.”

“We are very close to the answer,” said the minister reiterating the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities.

Commenting on problems on the way of a nuclear agreement, he said, “The problem is a political decision which is whether Western states, the US in particular, intend to solve the (nuclear) problem or they want to exert pressure on Iran.”

The minister referred to the American lobbies as the sources “trying to tackle any nuclear agreements in line with the policy of Iranophobia they were pursuing during the past eight years.”

He added that reaching a nuclear deal would “be to some extent impossible if US authorities failed to stop the lobbying groups.”

He also said there is only one source for optimism and that is “Western states have finally come to the conclusion that sanctions are not effective for dealing with Iran.”

Western states have realized that “more sanctions, will lead Iranians to become more suspicious about intentions of the Western countries and consequently, Iranians will further follow up their own programs.”

Referring to differences between those who are against reaching a nuclear deal inside Iran and the Western countries, Zarif said, “The tough position of those who are against a nuclear agreement in Iran roots from their pessimistic viewpoint towards the West” which according to the minister “is completely normal as it has rooted from a long history of West’s oppressive and unreasonable policies.”

However, the foreign minister referred to the Zionist regime as the main cause of extremist viewpoint in the West towards making a nuclear agreement with Iran. “The Zionist regime wants Iran’s nuclear issue to remain unsettled.”

“The Zionist regime and its American and European supporters are confident that Iran’s nuclear program is not harmful, but they want to continue portraying Iran as a global threat,? he added. ?They are against any nuclear agreement as they want to maintain the security atmosphere they have created against the country during the past eight years.”

Reiterating the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities, Zarif said Iran is not to develop any nuclear weapons as it believes those weapons are “against religion and ethics and also against our security.”

The minister said Zionist leaders consider any nuclear deal as bad.

“(Zionist regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu believes making no agreement is the only good agreement or even better is to enter a conflict against Iran as the Zionist regime would preserve its existence in the region by creating tensions in order to cover its tyrannical policies, oppression of the Palestinian nation, construction of Jewish settlements and committing large-scale punishment which are against international laws.”

?Therefore?, the minister argued, ?we have to draw a substantial distinction between our domestic friends or those concerned about a nuclear deal with the West inside Iran and those extremists who are against any clear agreement with Iran in the West.”

“If the US House of Representatives decide about (further) sanctions against Iran, our Majlis (Parliament) would definitely act likewise. I believe the move of the US House of Representatives could be very dangerous for the future of the nuclear talks,” Zarif stressed.

He warned the Western states to stop looking at the nuclear issue as “a game with a zero conclusion.”

“Under the present circumstances, a game with a zero conclusion would lead to a negative result and it means that even the Western states would definitely lose in that case,” the minister added.

By IRNA

 

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