‘Halting Iran nuclear work, unacceptable’

Head of Iran’s Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says Tehran will not approve any precondition for halting its peaceful nuclear program in negotiations.
“As Iran’s nuclear activities are fundamentally peaceful and within the framework of the [International Atomic Energy] Agency and the [Non- Proliferation Treaty] NPT regulations, any precondition for halting Iran’s nuclear activities is not approved by us as it lacks logical basis,” Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Saturday.

He went on to add that Tehran and the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany) will resume talks, which are “based on Iran’s proposed package which includes new issues,” after both sides agree on a venue and date for the meeting.

Boroujerdi went on to say that Tehran welcomes having Turkey host the next round of talks between Iran and the P5+1.

Iran and the P5+1 have held two rounds of multifaceted talks in Geneva in December 2010 and in the Turkish city of Istanbul last January.

Tehran says it is ready to continue negotiations based on common ground, adding that it has no intention of backing down from its nuclear rights.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies, however, accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and have used this pretext to impose four rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the NPT and a member of the IAEA, Tehran has a right to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.