Iran Warns of Negative Percussions of US Pressures in N. Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned Washington that exerting pressure on Tehran during the ongoing nuclear talks would receive negative reactions.
Asked by Iran’s state-run TV about US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent remarks in London that Washington would leave the talks if Iran did not take a “productive” decision to prove the “peaceful” nature of its nuclear program, Zarif said, “We didn’t see any sign of such remarks in the negotiations, but of course it is clear that any side which feels that its interests, view and goals aren’t considered, it may leave the negotiations.”

Stressing that Iran is ready for reaching a final deal, he said, “We are after a solution which recognizes the Iranian people’s rights completely and the negotiating sides surely know that if the Iranian people’s rights are not respected and their technical achievements are ignored, there won’t be a deal.”

Zarif underlined that Iran is not after leaving the talks, and said, “We have entered the negotiations within international frameworks and with political resolve, and we have not and will not be entangled in media games.”

“We have stepped into these negotiations for the sake of our own political goals, and not for the objectives of others,” he said.

Asked to express his judgment about the final results of the talks, the Iranian top diplomat said, “As long as we haven’t reached definite and final results, it would be still soon to express a judgment because the negotiations may be led to a deadlock or get out of the deadlock by even one single sentence and we should wait for the attainment of agreements on details as well.”

Asked about the possibility of extending the negotiations, he said, “We don’t think about an extension since we believe that extending the talks will not benefit anyone and will not benefit the settlement of issues.”

“We should reach an agreement on all details because there is already an understanding attained about the generalities,” Zarif underscored.

Noting that the details have taken the time of negotiators, he said, “If we cannot reach an agreement over the details, it will be very hard to speak about an agreement.”

Asked about some western media news on the achievement of an agreement on general points in this round of the Geneva talks, Zarif said, “There won’t be a detailed or general agreement, rather we believe that agreement (over the generalities and details) should take place simultaneously. Of course, we cannot make an agreement over all issues in one moment, and we are, thus, necessitated to study issues one by one and we are doing the same thing right now.”

Zarif said some positive steps have been taken over certain topics, “but the final agreement is to include a complete set of general and detailed points”.

The Iranian and American teams of negotiators started several days of talks in Geneva on Friday. Then after two days of negotiations, Zarif, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and President Rouhani’s brother and senior aide Hossein Fereidoun as well as Kerry and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz joined their deputies in the talks.

After two days of intensive negotiations with his US counterpart, Zarif said that Tehran and Washington have had “serious, useful and constructive” talks in the last few days, but there is still a long way ahead before a final nuclear deal can be struck.

Speaking to reporters on Monday and after two days of talks with his US counterpart, Zarif said, “We have made progress on some topics to some extent, but there is still a long way to pave before reaching a final deal.”

He noted that Iran and the G5+1 had “serious, useful and constructive” talks, specially with the US whose secretaries of state and energy also took part in the negotiations.

The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that there will be no agreement unless both sides agree on all issues.

On Monday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi cautioned that Tehran will leave the negotiating table with the world powers if the other side adopts a bullying approach in the negotiations.

“We will continue the negotiations as long as there is a language of respect…, but we will surely leave the table if this (bullying) approach is extended to the negotiating table,” Araqchi, also a senior negotiator in talks with the world powers, said.

Araqchi’s remarks came after Kerry said that Washington would leave the talks, if Tehran did not take a “productive” decision to prove the “peaceful” nature of its nuclear program.

“Kerry’s statements about the nuclear talks were repetition of (US President Barack) Obama’s last week statements and these remarks have always been repeated and we believe that they do not influence the negotiations,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister added.

He reiterated that the Iran-Group 5+1 talks (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) should be based on the two sides’ interests and proceed with a win-win solution, and said, “Both the US and other G5+1 members have experienced that political and media pressures will never make the Islamic Republic of Iran change its methods, demands and stances in the negotiations.”

Araqchi reiterated that Iran will continue negotiations with the G5+1 as long as there is mutual respect, but it will otherwise leave the negotiating table.

He pointed to the third day of negotiations in Geneva on Sunday, and said, “Summing up the discussions, we cannot claim that progress has been made in the talks, we still have differences, but the negotiating sides are seriously and resolutely following up the negotiations to reach a solution although they have not achieved comprehensive solutions over key issues.”

On Saturday, Kerry said that US President Barack Obama “is fully prepared to stop these talks if he feels that they’re not being met with the kind of productive decision-making necessary to prove that a program is in fact peaceful”.

His remarks came after Zarif underlined the country’s determination to clinch a fair deal with the six major world powers, but meantime, said Tehran would not accept the West’s excessive demands in the nuclear talks.

Speaking in the Swiss city of Geneva on Saturday, Zarif said Tehran would not approve of an “incomplete and vague” nuclear accord, but rather a “complete agreement”.

“No other deal will be made before a complete agreement is clinched,” said the top Iranian diplomat.

Zarif also referred to the discussions made by the Iranian and American deputy foreign ministers in Geneva on Friday, and said, “The deputies had good discussions, but no particular agreement has been made on the issues (at hand).”

During the 10th round of the negotiations between Iran and the six world powers in Vienna in November, the seven nations decided to extend the talks until July after they failed to strike an agreement. The last round of the nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers was held in February.

Both Iran and the G5+1 negotiators have underlined their hope that attainment of a final deal before the July 10 deadline would be possible.

Senior negotiators from Iran and the Group 5+1 agreed to resume their nuclear talks in Geneva next Monday.