Iran Censures Certain US Political Factions for Standing against N. Deal

(FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi blasted certain political factions in the US for troubling attainment of a final nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers.

"There are streams within the US which don’t want the negotiations to produce results and all their efforts are aimed at stopping the negotiations," Sarmadi told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday.

Asked about the chances for striking a final nuclear agreement, he said efforts are being made to attain and declare the final results by July 1 "but everything depends on the progress in the negotiations".

"The main discussions in the negotiations are focused on the issues related to the sanctions, Research and Development (R&D) and the details of both sides' undertakings," Sarmadi said, stressing that the sanctions against Iran should also be terminated since they are cruel and don’t have any legal basis."

In relevant remarks on Saturday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said his country and the six world powers are still having many debates over the details of a final nuclear deal, but reiterated that attainment of a comprehensive agreement is still possible.

"The overall frameworks important to the Islamic Republic are accepted by the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) today, while we have many differences on the details and all these differences should be settled," Rouhani said at a press conference in Tehran.

Stressing Iran's determination and seriousness in nuclear talks, he said, "We are not after wasting and buying time. We are not limited to a specific time period either. We are not in a rush, but use all our opportunities and possibilities to reach an agreement."

Rouhani underscored the importance of the Iranian nation's will, and said, "The frameworks specified by the Islamic Republic have received (due) attention in the negotiations and the negotiators continue moving on this path. If the other side respects the same framework and shows respect for our national interests and avoid going after excessive demands, an agreement is within reach."

"All our efforts are focused on an honorable agreement which materializes the Iranian nation's rights with attention to all the specified redlines," he added.

Elaborating on Iran's achievements in the nuclear talks, Rouhani stressed that the western and eastern powers now admit Tehran's right of domestic enrichment, while they did not two years ago.

Asked about the exact date for the removal of the sanctions against Iran, Rouhani said, "There are still some differences over certain issues; yet there is no doubt that the economic sanctions will be removed, terminated and declared null and void."

He mentioned there are still differences on how to coordinate Iran's measures and the sanctions removal in simultaneous steps, and said Iran wants the measures of the two sides to be adopted simultaneously.

Yet, the president complained that the opposite side to the talks starts bargaining over the same issues and frameworks that have already been agreed upon, "and this causes delay and prolongs the negotiations".

Rouhani described the sanctions as an illegal, inhuman, immoral, blind and disoriented move that have only troubled people's access to their basic needs, including medicine, medical services, water, wheat and foodstuff, but said the performance of his government in the last two years displays very readily that it "has managed these sanctions well and can go on with the same trend of management if the cruel sanctions continue".

His remarks came after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi said differences still remain between Tehran and the world powers on the implementation of the Additional Protocol to the NPT, although he strongly rejected any possibility for the inspection of Iran's military sites and interview with nuclear scientists by outsiders.

"Interview with scientists and inspection of military centers are fully rejected, but talks continue within the framework of the procedures envisaged in the Additional Protocol," Araqchi told Iran's state-run TV late May.

"The methods for implementing the Additional Protocol are among the issues of difference and we are discussing them," he added.

Araqchi's remarks came after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei reiterated Iran's opposition to the inspection of sensitive military sites and interview with the country's nuclear scientists.

"As said before, no permission will be given for inspection of any military centers and talks with the nuclear scientists and other sensitive fields of study and intrusion into their privacy," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing the Iranian cadets at Imam Hossein University - a renowned military academy of the IRGC - in Tehran late last month.

"I will not allow the aliens to hold talks and interrogate the dear and distinguished scientists and sons of this nation," he stressed.

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the nuclear talks underway between Iran and the world powers, and said one of the challenges facing the talks was the other side's bullying and excessive demands.

But he stressed that the enemies should know that the Iranian nation would not bow to the pressures and excessive demands.

In relevant comments on April 9, Ayatollah Khamenei specified conditions for a final nuclear deal with the world powers, and underlined that Iran doesn’t allow any inspection of its defensive and military centers.

"They (the foreigners) shouldn’t be allowed at all to penetrate into the country's security and defensive boundaries under the pretext of supervision, and the country's military officials are not permitted at all to allow the foreigners to cross these boundaries or stop the country's defensive development under the pretext of supervision and inspection," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large number of Iranian people in Tehran in early April.

Elaborating on his position on the recent nuclear statement issued by Iran and the G5+1 in Lausanne, Switzerland, he said, "I am neither in favor nor against it since nothing has happened yet and no binding issue has occurred between the two sides."

Ayatollah Khamenei underscored that he will support a final deal which would guarantee the Iranian nation's honor and interests, and added, "I am not indifferent to the negotiations but I have not interfered in the details of the negotiations by now and will not interfere in the future either."

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the necessity for continued progress in the country's nuclear Research and Development (R&D) and development of the nuclear industry, and said another important issue in the final deal is that "the sanctions should be removed completely on the same day (of the implementation) of any agreement".

Also in April, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said there is no paragraph or article in the additional protocol to NPT to allow inspection of non-nuclear sites.

Salehi said that Paragraph 30 under Article 5 of the NPT Additional Protocol (which has not been yet accepted by Iran and should be approved by the parliament for implementation) allows the inspectors to inspect the vicinities of the non-nuclear sites, but they misinterpret that and intend to enter those sites, which will not be allowed.

"Everyone wishes to present their own interpretations of the nuclear negotiations, but the point to be kept in mind is that the Iranians have still not signed any agreement. The accomplished job so far is the shared understanding over various issues," he went on to say referring to the Iran-Powers nuclear understanding reached in Lausanne on April 2.

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.

Talks are underway among the delegations of the seven nations to draft the final deal.