Nuclear negotiating team defends national interests

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the negotiating team doesn’t pursue any party’s agenda in nuclear talks.

“Our strategy is based on the views of Islamic revolution’s leader(Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), ” Zarif said.

“Western countries seek two goals in introducing Iran’s nuclear program as a threat. The first one is to portray the image that Iran is a dangerous and unsafe country that endangers peace and security. And the second goal is to weaken Iran’s economy, defense and industry through imposing cruel and illegal sanctions, ” he said.

“But even the foes and friends admit that Iran is not only the problem in the region, but also is a source of peace and security, ” the minister explained.

Zarif made the remarks at a session of the country’s parliament. He attended the session to answer the MPs’ questions about the nuclear negotiations.

At the end of the session the MPs voted on the foreign ministers’ comments, to show if they were satisfied with the answers. ۱۲۵ lawmakers voted in favor, ۸۶ voted against, and ۸ abstained. Ten MPs didn’t take part in the voting.

Iran’s nuclear program has been a bone of contention between Tehran and the West in the past years.

Iran and P۵ + ۱(the five permanent members of the UN Security Council comprising of China, France, Russia, Britain, the US Plus Germany) sealed an interim deal in Geneva on November ۲۴,۲۰۱۳ to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade - old dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program.

The Geneva deal took effect on January ۲۰ and expired on July ۲۰.

However the two sides agreed to extend their talks for four months until November ۲۴ to reach a permanent deal on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

At a meeting held on November ۲۴,۲۰۱۴, the sides agreed to extend the talks for further seven months.

The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P۵ + ۱ group of countries is scheduled for January ۱۵ in Geneva.