TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif defended the conclusion of talks with world powers over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

Speaking in a meeting of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Zarif described the nuclear deal as a “balanced agreement” which has some deficiencies but upholds the country's overall objectives, principles and red lines.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, US, Britain, France, and Germany) on July 14 successfully concluded their nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria, and finalized the text of a comprehensive nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The United Nations Security Council later adopted a resolution endorsing the agreement.

The comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and the six powers would terminate all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran after coming into force.

Zarif referred to the UNSC Resolution 2231, which endorses the JCPOA, saying it was the first time in the history of the UN Security Council that a resolution entirely based on an agreement reached outside of the UN was passed.

He noted that not even a single word of the resolution was changed during UNSC discussions after its text had been finalized in the talks between Iran and the six nations in Vienna.

He further underscored that Iran is not and has never been after nuclear weapons.

As regards the issue of Iran's missile capability, Zarif said none of the country’s missiles have been designed to carry nuclear warheads and, therefore, this annext is irrelevant when it comes to Iran’s missile program.

Annex B of the new resolution calls upon Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”

According to the UNSC Resolution 2231, all previous UNSC sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program will be terminated when the JCPOA takes effect.

The new resolution has also devised a reversibility mechanism in condition that a party complains about a “significant non-performance of commitments under the JCPOA”.

The resolution stipulates that once the UNSC receives a notification by a JCPOA participant state about a significant non-performance of commitments, it will have 30 days to vote on a draft resolution to “continue in effect the terminations” of the previous anti-Iran resolutions.

By Tasnim News Agency