New York, Feb 22, IRNA – Iran is ready for negotiations with the US based on a logical approach and not under pressure, Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei said on Friday.
'Islamic Republic is ready for talks with the Washington based on mutual respect, but it will not agree with the kind of negotiations which aims to increase pressure on Iranian nation.'
Speaking at the Asia Society headquarters in New York, he noted that Tehran expects practical steps from Washington as a prelude for negotiations.
'There is an old mutual mistrust between Tehran and Washington which roots in the US hostile actions against Iranian nation over the past three decades; Iranian nation views US readiness for talking as part of the Washington pressure strategy against Tehran.'
The envoy added that mutual respect means US should not interfere in Iran's internal affairs and respect its sovereignty.
'US have declared that it will use a dual approach which includes both diplomacy and pressure towards Iran, but just the pressure tool has been applied against Tehran.'
Khazaei asserted that enrichment based on the NPT is our red line and the degree of it is not important for Tehran.
'Iran has proposed the leader's decree on prohibition of production and use of nuclear bombs to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General which proves the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.'
The United States and Iran broke diplomatic relations in April 1980, after Iranian students seized the United States' espionage center at its embassy in Tehran. The two countries have had tense relations ever since, but have shown willingness to attend talks to help resolve regional issues, including security in Iraq. Yet, the two countries have avoided talks on bilateral issues for the last thirty years.
In March, White House tried to offer an olive branch to Iran and repair strained ties of nearly three decades. Tehran, meanwhile, said it would only consider the promise after seeing practical changes in the US policies.
Tehran has been under Washington sanctions after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled a US-backed monarch in the country.
The two countries' relations deteriorated following Iran's progress in the field of civilian nuclear technology. Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Also during the 2009 post-election events in Iran, Iranian officials found a number of documents as well as a series of confessions extracted from the detainees substantiating US attempts to stir unrests in the country.
