30/09/2013 09:38
Foreign minister: Iran open to negotiations
Iran would open its nuclear facilities to international inspectors as part of broad negotiations with the United States that could eventually restore diplomatic relations between the adversaries and those talks have the backing of the nation's supreme leader, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Sunday, according to The Associated Press.
Zarif also said the United States and its allies must end their crippling economic sanctions as part of any deal. The Western-educated Zarif again repeated Tehran's position that it has no desire for nuclear weapons but has the right to continue a peaceful nuclear program.
"Negotiations are on the table to discuss various aspects of Iran's enrichment program. Our right to enrich is nonnegotiable," Zarif said during an English-language interview that comes amid a significant shift in U.S.-Iranian relations.
At the same time, Zarif's deputy tried to calm hard-liners' fears at home. "We never trust America 100 percent," Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars News Agency, which has close ties to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.
And Obama's national security adviser expressed similar skepticism given decades of an anti-American record.
"While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward, and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution," Obama told reporters Friday at the White House.