Rafsanjani: Iranian N. Team Propped Up by Support from Leader, Nation


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council called on the country’s nuclear negotiators to defend the nation’s undeniable rights to the civilian advantages of the nuclear technology, assuring them that the Supreme Leader, along with the nation, backs them in the course of talks.

The widespread support the team of nuclear negotiators draw from Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and also from the Iranian officials and people will go down in history, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani announced.

He made the remarks in a Saturday meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and a number of the foreign ministry staff, here in Tehran.

Rafsanjani further urged the nuclear negotiators, engaged in talks with the six major world powers over Tehran’s nuclear case, to do their utmost to “restore the Iranian nation’s historical rights to enjoy the civilian advantages of the nuclear science.”

He once again assured the nuclear negotiating team - led by Foreign Minister Zarif - that the Iranian nation keeps supporting them in the talks.

In relevant comments on April 9, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that Iran will never allow its “scientific nuclear move” to be brought to a halt, and noted, “None of the country’s nuclear achievements could be shut down, and nobody has the right to bargain over them, and nobody will do that.”

The Supreme Leader then underlined that Iran will never slow down or stop its nuclear research and development, stressing that those scientific activities will remain firmly in place as the nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the world powers are in progress.

Delegations representing Iran and Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) concluded their latest round of talks over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Wednesday.

The two sides are slated to meet again in Vienna on May 13, with the aim of putting an end to the decade-long standoff on the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear program.