Iran’s foreign minister says the Islamic Republic has a national interest in nuclear non-proliferation and it has no plan to develop nuclear weapons.
“Iran has a national security interest in nonproliferation, so if the United States is interested in nonproliferation, that is one issue,” the New Yorker quoted Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying.
Reiterating that Iran does not seek to make nuclear weapons, Zarif added, “We don’t want nuclear weapons, and they say the objective is to insure Iran does not have nuclear weapons.”
The Iranian minister said Tehran expects the six world powersengaged in nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic to “respect” its rights.
“Nuclear talks are not about nuclear capability…. They are about Iranian integrity and dignity,” he said, stressing that “dignity,” “technology” and “development” of Iran are “not up for sale.”
Noting that regional stability is another part of Iran’s national security interest, Zarif said, “Iran has a national-security interest in freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf. We have a national-security interest in stability in this region.”

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China – plus Germany have been discussing ways to iron out differences and start drafting a final deal that would end the West’s dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program.

In November 2013, the two sides signed an interim deal in the Swiss city of Geneva, which came into force on January 20.

According to the deal, the six countries agreed to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for the Islamic Republic agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear energy program during a six-month period.

By Press TV

 

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