BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 5. The meeting and
deliberations between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US
President Donald Trump are not on Iran’s agenda, Iran’s First Vice
President Mohammad Reza Aref told reporters following a Cabinet
meeting in Tehran, commenting on the US President’s remarks that he
is ready to meet with the Iranian President, Trend reports.
Naturally, he claims, it is not conceivable to say that the two
leaders can’t meet.
Aref pointed out that Iran has laid its cards on the table when
it comes to its nuclear program. Iran is of the opinion that every
nation should have a fair shake at nuclear endeavors and peaceful
technologies.
He stated that when it comes to nuclear weapons, Iran’s Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Khamenei has a decree on the issue. This
decree is the final word. Thus, non-peaceful nuclear activities are
prohibited. Iran’s strategy in this regard is clear.
“The US President declares that Iran should not engage in atomic
weapons. This is Iran’s permanent strategy. The US president can be
assured that Iran has a transparent position on this. However, the
use of the nuclear program for peaceful purposes, as well as other
areas, is among Iran’s priorities,” he pointed out.
To recall, on January 16, 2016, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action) came into force between Iran and the P5+1 group
(US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) regarding Iran’s
nuclear program. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the
JCPOA between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK,
France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions on Iran
starting from November 2018.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a
strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions,
leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional
Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.
Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue
the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the
production of weapons of mass destruction.
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