Iran insists on nuke rights ahead of talks

TEHRAN - One day before the new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the world's six major powers, Iranian officials reiterated their insistence on what they called Tehran's nuclear rights.

According to the Press TV, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Sunday that Iran will not step back from its nuclear rights, adding that the Iranian nation's path to defend its rights is irreversible.

Also on Sunday, the senior Iranian lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, urged Western countries to recognize the Islamic republic's "inalienable" nuclear rights, said the report.

The talks between Iran and the P5+1 -- the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany -- are slated for June 18-19 in the Russian capital of Moscow.

"Western countries have no option but to recognize Iran's inalienable nuclear rights," Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran's Majlis (parliament) was quoted as saying.

He said the outcome of the talks depends on the negotiating sides' commitment to the agreements, and "the P5+1 countries should implement the agreements (reached) in Baghdad and Istanbul," according to the report.

"The West has issued illegal resolutions with political objectives against Iran. We strongly oppose this measure and will not give up our legal rights," he added.

The Moscow meeting is the third round talks this year after the Istanbul talks in April and Baghdad one in May.

In the meantime, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said Tehran expects its right to nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment, to be recognized during the upcoming talks in Moscow, the Press TV reported on Saturday.

Iran welcomes dialogue and has always been open to cooperation and talks with different countries on a wide range of issues, including cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, Jalili was quoted as saying.

"If they (the P5+1) are also committed to a similar strategy, a similar approach, then the prospects for the Moscow talks will be promising. We will look at this round of talks with optimism if the agreements reached in Istanbul and Baghdad are honored," said Jalili, also the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

"We are strongly against weapons of mass destruction. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the capacity to cooperate in the field of disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation; so these capacities should be drawn on by the international community," he added.

Iran expects its right to the nuclear technologies, including uranium enrichment to be recognized and respected as that right is clearly defined by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he said.

Iran's nuclear activities are entirely under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Islamic republic is conducting its nuclear energy program in full compliance with the NPT, he added.

Iran is under substantial Western pressures, including sanctions on its oil industry and its central bank over its controversial nuclear program. Besides, the United States has targeted several international companies which were allegedly involved in the relevant transactions with Tehran.

Potential US sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program will "deal a blow" to Russian-US relations, a senior Russian official said Sunday.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that the US sanctions on Iran would "run against international law and affect third countries."

Moscow could not accept if Russian firms and banks become potential victims of such unilateral actions from the United States, Ushakov warned.