Iran’s foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator says Iran hopes to bring the nuclear negotiations to completion “with assistance from its Russian friends.” Mohammad Javad Zarif held a joint conference with his Russian counterpart on Friday August 29 to point out Russia’s cooperation in Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, saying Russia is well aware of the “importance of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.”
Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was built by Russian contractors, and last September its operational control was transferred to Iran.
ISNA quoted Zarif saying that Iran expects Russia to boost its “active and positive” role in the nuclear negotiations and “seriously assist in the process of reaching a resolution.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry has spoken of Iran’s “fundamental right” to uranium enrichment and the possibility of lifting international sanctions against Iran.
According to a report from Reuters, the Russian Foreign Ministry recently said: “Despite the difficult course of the negotiating process, a possibility is emerging to satisfy in full all integral rights of Iran as a member state of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, including the right to enrich uranium, and to lift the sanctions regime."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavorv has reportedly emphasized Iran’s fundamental right to uranium enrichment and added that Iran has to accept the IAEA’s full supervision over its nuclear program and respond to all the remaining questions from the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran and the 5+1 representatives are set to meet in November for the next round of nuclear negotiations.
