BICOM

Iran’s President Hassan Rowhani, elected in June, said yesterday that Western sanctions and pressure would not succeed in restricting his country’s nuclear development.

According to AFP, Rowhani said defiantly that “Our government will not give up one iota of its absolute rights” regarding nuclear development. He later told the Iranian Fars news agency that “The West must understand that it will not achieve success through sanctions and pressures against the Iranian nation.”

On Monday, Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, criticised Iran for failing to cooperate with the international community to resolve concerns over Tehran’s nuclear development. He said that “it remains essential and urgent for Iran to engage with us on the substance of these concerns.” The IAEA’s latest quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear programme, published last month, revealed that Iran is continuing to grow its capability to enrich uranium.

However, in live remarks on state television yesterday, Rowhani effectively ruled out a halt to nuclear development, saying that “One of Iran’s rights is to enrich (uranium) on its soil.” However, he claimed that such development would take place “with regards to international regulations… and for peaceful” purposes. He then warned that “the period of time for resolving the nuclear issue will not be limitless” and that “The world should take advantage of this period and the opportunity that our nation created by (my) election.”

Later this month, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is set to meet European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton over re-starting talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 forum (United States, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany). The last meeting between the two sides took place in April in Kazakhstan and so far numerous rounds of talks have failed to make any real progress over Iran’s nuclear programme.