Iran after Nuclear Deal, but Not at Any Price: Spokeswoman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham dismissed the notion that the country’s fate is linked to a final nuclear deal with world powers, and stressed that Tehran does not want an agreement at any price.
“All scenarios about results of the nuclear talks have been studied by the country’s senior officials, and we are ready for all of them. Iran seeks a deal not at any price,” Afkham said in her weekly press conference on Wednesday.
She also emphasized that Iran will never accept to be treated as “an exception” when it comes to nuclear inspections.
Iran will not agree of inspection of its nuclear facilities at any slightest level beyond the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or the Additional Protocol, she underscored.
Asked about the contradictory remarks raised by the US officials about the nuclear talks, the removal of sanctions or the inspection of Iran’s nuclear sites, Afkham said such “propaganda comments” have no bearing on the Iranian negotiating team’s resolve.
“We have repeatedly announced our position. We are opposed to any excessive demands,” she explained.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are in talks to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.
On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal until the end of June.
Diplomats from Iran and the EU wrapped up the latest round of negotiations in New York on Tuesday and are slated to resume the talks in Vienna on May 12 to press on with the task of drafting the comprehensive deal.
