Iran to Continue Current Nuclear Stance: Iranian VP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said Tehran is set to maintain its current position on the country’s peaceful nuclear program.
“I believe the adopted stance is rightful and we will push ahead with it powerfully,” Jahangiri said on Tuesday.
He further referred to the Geneva Agreement on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program and said the deal demonstrated to the world that the Islamic Republic defends in nuclear rights logically and rationally and from a well-founded standpoint.
In November 2013, Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) 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. In their last round of talks before the end of deadline, they once again decided to extend the talks by July 1, 2015.
Based on the agreement, Iran and the six countries will draw up a comprehensive nuclear deal which will lead to a lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iran.
The two sides are currently engaged in diplomatic talks to hammer out a final agreement to end more than a decade of impasse on the nuclear issue.
Jahangiri further dismissed the Zionists’ lies about Iran’s nuclear activity and referring to a Fatwa (religious edict) issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei that prohibits acquiring nuclear weapons, Jahangiri said the Islamic Republic has never sought nuclear arms.
Iran has constantly insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful and not aimed at military purposes.
The peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear activity has been repeatedly confirmed by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).