Iran is not bound by the self-imposed deadline in a run for a comprehensive deal with the world powers on the country's nuclear program, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said here on Saturday.

"Iran is serious in the nuclear talks and is not after buying time. But we do not limit ourselves to a specific time to achieve a good deal," Rouhani told a press conference.

If the other side does not pose excessive demands, the agreement is possible in the agreed time frame, he said.

However, the Western side incessantly poses new demands in the meetings, bringing about new bargaining, elongating the talks and postponing the deal, he added.

Despite the existing differences in details, the general framework considered by Iran for a deal has been accepted by the P5+1 group, namely the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany, he said, expressing the hope that a good deal irrespective of time limits could be reached which would benefit both sides.

The Iranian president also said that his negotiating team observes all the red lines of the country and withstands the pressures in the negotiations. "All our efforts are directed at reaching an honorable deal which will safeguards Iranians' rights," he stressed.

Iran will not allow the secrets of country to be revealed with the implementation of Non-Proliferation Treaty's (NPT) additional protocol, which allows snap checks on nuclear facilities, Rouhani said.

Iran will voluntarily implement NPT's additional protocol to enhance the transparency of Iran's nuclear activities like other countries that have accepted the protocol, Rouhani said, adding that "however, Iran will not allow the military and technological secrets of the country to be accessed by others under the pretext of this protocol."

By agreeing to the additional protocol, Iran shows serious intention to prove to the world that the accusations of the country pursuing nuclear weapons are baseless, he added.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) reports over the past decade also showed no diversion of Iran's nuclear program towards weapon-grade activities, he said.

The president also drew on the issue of the western sanctions against the country, saying that sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program have been "effective, but unsuccessful."

"The main purpose of the sanctions was to surrender us, which was not successful. But sanctions have caused problems in people's daily lives and foreign investment," Rouhani said.

No country will make progress in the competitive world under sanction, he said, adding that however, if the sanctions continue, the Iranian government would "manage" them to the advantage of people and would try to raise the welfare of the society.

Rouhani underscored the role of UN Security Council in a run for an international nuclear deal, saying that any agreement should be ratified by the UN Security Council to be effective and remove all sanctions against Iran.

The UN Security Council last Tuesday extended the mandate of the panel of experts which monitors the implementation of sanctions against Iran for a year until July 9, 2016.

The council also requested the panel of experts to provide a planned program of work no later than 30 days after its reappointment, and submit a mid-term report to the council by Dec. 9, 2015.

On Wednesday, representatives from Iran and the P5+1 group began a new round of nuclear talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna with the aim of preparing a preliminary draft for a possible nuclear deal by June 30.

On Nov. 24, 2013, world powers and Iran reached an interim agreement on the latter's nuclear program, which demanded Iran suspend some sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanction relief to buy time for diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.

Negotiators agreed on a framework of understanding in early April and set June 30 as a deadline for reaching a final deal, after missing two previous deadlines in June and November last year.

Iran's nuclear program has long been a subject of concern for Western powers, who suspect it to be geared towards developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists it has the right to develop civilian nuclear program.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)