Iran's Foreign Minister warns against scuttling nuke dealJune 14, 2014 - 11:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - to negotiate with Iran. Iran's foreign minister warned critics Friday, June 13 not to let "illusions" about his country's nuclear program scuttle a deal, voicing hope that a historic agreement will be reached soon, Agence France-Presse reported. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, writing in The Washington Post, said that President Hassan Rouhani's reformist government has offered "serious" proposals that would "provide assurances of the exclusively peaceful nature of our nuclear program." Zarif recalled the failure of talks a decade ago, accusing the George W. Bush administration in power at the time of "mistaking our constructive engagement for weakness" and pressing unrealistic demands against uranium enrichment that Iran insists serves peaceful purposes. "It would be tragically shortsighted if illusions were to again derail progress toward a historic achievement," Zarif wrote. "There will be no better time to put an end to the unnecessary nuclear crisis than now, when all sides have much to gain and before the window of cooperation and pragmatic reason closes." An interim deal in which Iran agreed to freeze nuclear work in return for limited sanctions relief expires on July 20. Experts increasingly believe that Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- will need more time to reach a permanent deal, although Zarif said he was "reasonably confident" of meeting the deadline. One major sticking point is Iran's refusal to bow to demands to slash capacities to enrich uranium, which Tehran says it needs to provide fuel for future nuclear plants but which Western powers say is unnecessary as Tehran is far from building such energy facilities. Zarif said Iran would not "abandon or make a mockery of our technological advances or our scientists." But he scoffed at suggestions that Iran was on the verge of being able to build a nuclear bomb, saying that the Islamic republic did not do so even when it had little scope for negotiations during the 2005-2013 presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a pariah for the West. "For years, small but powerful constituencies have irrationally advanced the idea that Iran can produce enough fissile material for a bomb in months," Zarif wrote. "This would take several years -- not a few months." While Zarif did not specify critics, Israel and many U.S. lawmakers have lashed out at President Barack Obama for his willingness to negotiate with Iran, which has no diplomatic relations with Washington. Photo: Vahid Salemi/AP Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |