On October 7, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted that Iran has an “absolute right” to enrich uranium on its own soil.
According to AFP, Zarif said: “The mastery of civil nuclear technology, including the enrichment of uranium, on Iranian soil is the absolute right of Iran.”
He added that the years of U.S. sanctions against Iran “have not ensured the interests of the [U.S.],” and the continuation of such sanctions “cannot prevent Iran from mastering civilian nuclear technology.”
These statements came just eight days before Iran and six world powers–the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany–“are set to resume negotiations… to find a solution to the nuclear issue.”
These will be the first such talks since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was elected in June.
Speaking also on October 7, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iran to come up with new proposals “that will fully disclose how they will show the world their [nuclear] program is peaceful.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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