By Mohammad Davari (AFP) – 3 days ago
TEHRAN, Zone — Iran's new President Hassan Rowhani said Tuesday that Tehran will not give up "one iota" of its nuclear rights, echoing his hardline predecessor, after the UN atomic watchdog urged improved cooperation.
The comments come ahead of meeting later this month between his Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on restarting negotiations on the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear ambitions.
"Our government will not give up one iota of its absolute rights" on the nuclear issue, said Rowhani, a reputed moderate, repeating a mantra frequently used by his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Soon after his election as president in June, Rowhani promised more transparency, saying he wanted "serious" talks with world powers to resolve Western suspicions that Iran's nuclear drive is cover to build a bomb despite repeated denials by Tehran.
The two sides have failed to achieve a breakthrough in years of talks, with Iran -- during Ahmadinejad's two-term presidency -- refusing to make any concessions on sensitive activities in the nuclear programme, notably uranium enrichment.
That has led to several rounds of international sanctions being slapped on the Islamic republic, crucially targeting its oil sector and access to the global banking system, choking the economy and stoking a raging inflation.
The last round of talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 of world powers ended in Almaty in April with an impasse.
In parallel diplomatic efforts, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is urging Iran to provide necessary cooperation to remove suspicions it seeks a nuclear weapons capability.
Bee's Note:
Attention! UANI has just learned that #Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, and the Iranian delegation, will be staying at the ONE UN New York Hotel in Midtown Manhattan during this year's United Nations General Assembly. | Take action NOW & send the hotel a message to refuse their stay!
UANI has learned that the ONE UN plans to house Rouhani and other Iranian officials during their visit to New York City the week of September 22. President Rouhani's track record and clear commitment to advancing the interests of the regime, including its nuclear program, raise doubt about the prospect for significant and lasting change in the regime's policies absent continued economic and diplomatic pressure from the international community and private businesses. No venue or entity in the United States should be doing business with the Iranian regime and its delegation, until the regime has seriously and verifiably altered its dangerous and threatening behavior. Please send the action alert below and call the ONE UN New York Hotel at (212) 758-1234 to respectfully voice your concern. http://www.capwiz.com/unitedagainstnucleariran/issues/alert/?alertid=62921306&type=CU | ||||||
