Tehran, May 26 (IANS) A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator has stressed on observing the country’s red lines set for the nuclear talks with the world powers, saying the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme is highly sensitive for both the country’s interests and future, a media report said on Tuesday.
“Diplomats and negotiators are obliged to comply with the guidelines and red lines set for them,” Press TV quoted Abbas Araqchi, who is also Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, as saying in a TV interview on Monday night.
Araqchi added that there was no such thing as “inspections” in the Additional Protocol to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Safeguards Agreements. He said Iran might only allow “managed access” to its non-nuclear sites.
“In the nuclear issue, since the programme is peaceful and that we act within the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s framework, we do not have any concern about transparency and managed access. In fact, all our activities are under the supervision of the IAEA and therefore we do not worry about the supervision of the IAEA, as an international body, but we take issue with the abuse of such supervision,” the Iranian official said.
Negotiators from Iran and the P5+1 group of countries — the US, Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany — are set to start a new round of talks on drafting the text of a final nuclear deal in the Austrian city of Vienna on Tuesday.