Displaying items by tag: Sanctions
Rouhani: Nuclear Deal Possible only if Sanctions Lifted
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated Wednesday that Tehran will not accept a comprehensive nuclear deal with major powers if all sanctions imposed on Tehran are not lifted, state television reported.
"If there is no end to sanctions, there will not be an agreement," Rouhani said in a televised speech in the northern Iranian city of Rasht.
He further added: "The end of these negotiations and a signed deal must include a declaration of canceling the oppressive sanctions on the great nation of Iran."
Iran wants sanctions that include nuclear-related United Nations resolutions as well as US and EU nuclear-related economic sanctions, to be lifted at once.
The US president agreed Tuesday that Congress should have the power to review any deal with Iran, backing down to pressure from Republicans and some in his own party.
Rouhani said this was an internal issue for Washington.
"What the US Senate, Congress and others say is not our problem. We want mutual respect ... We are in talks with the major powers and not with the Congress," Rouhani said, adding that Iran wanted to end its isolation by having "constructive interaction with the world and not confrontation."
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has never welcomed intrusive inspections and has in the past kept some nuclear sites secret.
A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, arrived in Tehran Wednesday for scheduled technical talks.
Talks with the IAEA are parallel to Iran's nuclear negotiations with the powers seeking a permanent agreement on curbing the country's nuclear activities by June 30.Iran and major powers will resume talks on April 21.
