Tehran, Feb 4, IRNA – Foreign Minister Mohammad on Tuesday criticized US administration for futile attempt to exert pressure on Iran saying that the US must abandon its illegitimate policy toward Iran.
Speaking in a joint press conference with his visiting Swedish counterpart Karl Bildt, Zarif said that Iran has repeatedly announced that imposing sanctions on the country would be of no help to settle nuclear dispute.

?The sanctions have only led to making of some 18,000 centrifuges and also added to the Iranians resentment towards the United States,? said the foreign minister.

He held the US administration responsible for a situation that the Iranian banks were unable to open up Letters of Credit for food and medicine and said that the US administration exceeded boundaries of international law and humanitarian principles over the nuclear dispute.

Zarif said that the US administration must follow a strategy of resolving the dispute rather than the strategy of exerting pressure on Iran.

Zarif accused the White House of not honoring the original text of the November 24 nuclear deal and said that the White House released a fact sheet instead of the interim agreement signed by Iran and the Group 5+1 (US, Britain, Russia, France and China plus Germany) in the Swiss city of Geneva.

He said that the US officials must stay ?committed to the original text? instead of publishing new versions.

A few days after the Geneva deal was signed, the White House released a multi-page fact-sheet claiming that it contained details of the agreement.

Iran has later rejected the text as “invalid” saying it was for domestic consumption.

?What the White House has later published is irrelevant to the original text.?

He said that in order to reduce the existing distrust, both sides should be ?committed to the original text.?

Zarif said that he is to hold a serious meeting with the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton prior to Iran?s new round of talks with the Group 5+1 which is slated for February 17.

By IRNA 

 

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