Iran offered specific proposals to P5+1: Baqeri

Iran has offered the P5+1 group of world powers specific proposals for a breakthrough in the new round of comprehensive talks which are underway between the two sides in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

Speaking during a press conference after the first round of talks on Friday, Undersecretary of Iran Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Baqeri said Iran has offered the group “clear proposals to launch a new round of cooperation” between the two sides.

“The proposals were presented using the framework that was outlined [during a previous round of talks] in Moscow,” he added.

Meanwhile, Iran and the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US plus Germany — have started the second round of Friday’s talks in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

“Iran believes that what is referred to as a confidence-building step, or the measures both sides should agree upon and undertake, is part of the comprehensive solution…,” Baqeri noted.

The Iranian official stated that if deemed necessary, the talks will continue on Saturday, so that the two sides would exchange views to create a new context for cooperation.

Tehran and the P5+1 have already held several rounds of talks the last round of which took place in Almaty on February 26-27.

The US, Israel and some of their allies claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the false claim as pretext to impose illegal sanctions against Iran.

Tehran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.