Former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik says the sanctions that have been imposed on Iran are “unconstructive”.
Bondevik made the remarks in a meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Conference on World Against Violence and Extremism, IRNA reported.
He expressed hope that the talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) would lead to a final settlement of the long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear activities, which would see the “unconstructive” sanctions against Iran lifted.
The foreign minister, for his part, said the Islamic Republic is seriously engaged in the talks, adding that reaching a deal depends on the “other side’s will.”
Iran and the six major powers in November missed a second deadline this year to clinch a comprehensive nuclear accord and decided to extend their talks and an interim agreement they reached late last year for seven more month until the end of next June to provide more time and space for a long-term settlement.
Zarif had told reporters on Tuesday that the next round of nuclear talks would be held at deputy ministerial level.
“Our friends are arranging a date in December for the talks that are likely to be held at the level of deputy ministers,” he said, adding, “After that we will continue discussions to reach a conclusion.”
He added, “We have always said, as the Leader has stated, that if there is political will and no excessive demands, we are ready to accept a logical, fair and reasonable solution.
“We will not only put up resistance in the face of any oppressive and coercive measures, but we believe such moves are doomed to failure.”
Commenting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks that Israel blocked a final nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers, Zarif said, “It is a great honor for the prime minister of the Zionist regime because this regime and its prime minister live with crisis and they need crisis and conflagration to hide the ugly face of their occupation policies, human rights violations and the suppression and killing of the Palestinian people.”
AFP quoted Netanyahu as saying on December 7 that Israel had a critical role in stopping a deal with Iran on its nuclear program from going ahead last month.
“Even though Israel isn’t part of the P5+1, our voice and our concerns played a critical role in preventing a bad deal,” Netanyahu said.
