11.09 Iran Reiterates It Will Continue Peaceful Nuclear Program
MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) Tehran will pursue its peaceful nuclear program and will not yield to pressure to scrap it, since it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday, adding that his country was seeking to resolve contentions about the program through talks.
In an exclusive interview with Press TV, Zarif said he would meet with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York. He emphasized that pressure in the talks would achieve nothing.
It is in Irans national-security interests to let the entire world know that we do not want to acquire nuclear weapons, he said. There is no room in Irans security doctrine for nuclear weapons.
No side in the talks can end them in its favor by exerting pressure, the top diplomat said, adding that no one could deprive the country of peaceful nuclear technology.
On September 5, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani entrusted his countrys Foreign Ministry with the responsibility for future nuclear talks with the P5+1 group of international mediators: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.
Zarif praised the decision and said his ministry was well-positioned to work on the issue and achieve results.
