TEHRAN, Feb 23: Iran on Monday said that it does not support the idea of an interim agreement in its negotiations with the US authorities, and instead conditioned a swift and result-oriented deal centred on lifting sanctions and resolving nuclear-related issues.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, addressing a weekly press conference in Tehran said all speculation about a temporary arrangement had “no basis”, further stressing that any agreement would have to be jointly shaped at the negotiating table.
“A temporary agreement has no basis,” Baghaei said. “The drafting of any negotiating text is a joint effort.”
Adding that Iran was currently formulating its positions and hoped to hold another round of talks within days, he said: “We are now in the stage of drafting viewpoints and we hope to have another round within the next two-three days.”
The Iranian official further said that Tehran’s stance on sanctions relief and nuclear matters was clear, and that Iranian negotiators were fully aware of Washington’s position.
“Iran does not benefit from protracted negotiations,” he declared, adding “negotiations are useful for us when they lead to a result”.
“Reason dictates that we act as soon as possible to remove sanctions,” he added.
Rejecting suggestions that the Islamic Republic was deliberately trying to prolong the dialogue process, he said “This has no basis. We have repeatedly said we are ready to continue negotiations for weeks without interruption in order to reach a result.”
At the same time, Baghaei cautioned that any talks designed to force unilateral concessions from Tehran would not succeed.
“No negotiation whose goal is to compel one side to accept unilateral demands will succeed,” he said. “Iran is serious and determined in pursuing the diplomatic path, and we will continue this process as long as we feel it leads to a result.”
Addressing Washington’s increasingly hostile and aggressive rhetoric, Baghaei said that US threats would not alter Iran’s approach, but emphasised that the country’s armed forces remained on alert. “If it leads to war, our fighters will respond,” he said. “Our forces, with eyes wide open, are ready 24 hours a day to defend Iran’s sovereignty.”
On nuclear oversight, he said Iran had no preconditions for visits by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), drawing a distinction between routine cooperation and inspections of facilities damaged in recent strikes.
Openly criticising the US sanctions policy, Baghaei said that American officials had openly acknowledged that the White House aim was to increase pressure on Iranian citizens in order to motivate them to hold demonstrations against the government. “In recent years they have explicitly said that the goal is to pressure Iranian citizens so that they feel the pressure and protest against the government,” he said.
Finally, Baghaei said decisions regarding the nuclear file were taken within Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, with participation from all relevant institutions, dismissing reports of disagreements between the Foreign Ministry and the council over the conduct of negotiations.
(UNI)
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