Nuclear Deal at Hand, No Place for Pressure, Iran's FM Says

“Today, we are close to a solution, and the other side should also stop resorting to sanction as a leverage,” Zarif said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Imposing sanction is definitely not a good tool to settle the problems, Zarif underscored.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are engaged in diplomatic talks to hammer out a final agreement to end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

“The other side should know that it is impossible to negotiate not only with the Iranian nation, but with any nation through pressure,” Zarif added, expressing the hope that the parties would exercise “realism” to secure a final deal.

The top Iranian diplomat reiterated that reaching a comprehensive agreement on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program will be in the interest of the whole countries, particularly of the regional states, and will “accelerate” expansion of relations.

Zarif made it clear that the negotiating parties have concluded talks on generalities and discussions have now “entered into details.”

“Although serious disagreement exists on details, the opposite side’s political will would resolve that,” the foreign minister added.

He also underlined that Iran’s uranium “enrichment plan” as well as the “continuation of its nuclear program” have been acknowledged in the talks.

In November 2013, Iran and the Group 5+1 (alternatively known as the P5+1 or E3+3) signed an interim deal –the Joint Plan of Action- in Geneva that took effect on January 20, 2014 and expired six months later. They later extended the deal until November 24, 2014.

After failing to hammer out a lasting accord by the self-imposed November 24 deadline, the parties once again decided to extend the deadline for more seven months.