Iran Repeats Request from G5+1 to Refrain from Raising Excessive Demands in N. Talks

(FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi reiterated Tehran's request from the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) to drop their excessive demands during the nuclear talks to reach a final deal.
"We hope that the other side tries to reach a comprehensive agreement before the specified time by stopping its insistence on its maximalist positions; although we are not under a time-limit pressure and are after an agreement that envisages all our rights," Takht Ravanchi said in a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Michael Linhart in Tehran on Monday.

Elsewhere, he also voiced Tehran's preparedness to strengthen bilateral relations with Vienna in different political, economic, trade, parliamentary, scientific, cultural and sports fields, and underlined the necessity for the establishment of peace and stability in the region, specially in Yemen, through talks and peaceful means.

Linhart, for his part, expressed optimism about reaching a final deal between Iran and the world powers, and stressed Austria's full preparedness to expand ties with Iran in all fields.

After nine days of hard work in Lausanne, Switzerland, Iran and the G5+1 reached an understanding on April 2 which laid the ground for them to start drafting the final nuclear deal over Tehran's nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.

Reading out a joint statement at a press conference with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Lausanne on April 2, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said according to the agreement, all the US, EU and UN Security Council sanctions against Iran would be lifted under the final deal.

The seven nations are now drafting the final deal.

But earlier this month, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi complained that the world powers welsh on what they agree to undertake in the nuclear talks with Iran.

"We welcome interaction as Iran's logic is based interaction with the world. We are not after confrontation," Salehi said in Tehran, addressing a ceremony to commemorate the Iranian nuclear scientists assassinated by the foreign spy agencies.

He said the nuclear negotiations with the G5+1 are progressing well, but "they are lowballing with regard to certain issues that we had agreed on."

Salehi underscored that Tehran is after a nuclear agreement with the world powers "but not at any price".

His remarks came after the US Senate advanced a legislation that would allow the Congress to review a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran. The bill turned into a law by President Obama's endorsement.