Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday that world powers must recognize
Tehran’s nuclear rights in order to resolve the standoff over the country’s
nuclear program.
Ramin Mehmanparast said that if the five permanent UN
Security Council members plus Germany (known as the P5+1) accepted Iran’s right
to peaceful nuclear energy, the dispute could be worked out easily, according to
Iran’s ISNA news agency.
“If the 5+1 were to adopt a logical approach in
the talks, the problem would be solved. All it would take is for [them] to
recognize Iran’s nuclear rights and its rights to peaceful nuclear fuel cycles,
and all the difficulties would be resolved,” he said.
Mehmanparast made
the comments during a press conference in Tehran. His remarks came after
the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, agreed last week to
discuss future steps in nuclear talks with Iran’s chief negotiator, Saeed
Jalili.
A spokeswoman for Ashton said there would be “a phone contact
between the high representative [Ashton] and chief Iranian nuclear negotiator
Dr. Jalili in order to discuss the next steps in our negotiations.”
The
Iranian media reported last Wednesday that Jalili’s deputy Ali Bagheri and the
EU’s Deputy Secretary-General Helga Schmid had spoken on the telephone.
A
spokesman for Ashton said the phone call had occurred “in the context of ongoing
diplomatic efforts” regarding Iran’s nuclear program, according to the
reports.
In a press conference earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign
Ministry said the country was willing to show flexibility at nuclear
talks.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted Mehmanparast as saying
Iran wished to remove concerns over its nuclear program “within a legal
framework,” but expected that such measures would be reciprocal.