President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is determined to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear program by implementing the Additional Protocol.
"Iran wants to implement the (prospective nuclear) deal and the (Additional) Protocol to prove that the accusations leveled against it (over its nuclear program) are baseless." Rouhani was quoted by IRNA as saying in a press conference in Tehran on Saturday.
Noting that "there is nothing termed 'inspection' in the protocol," he concurred with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who has ruled out any inspection of military facilities because such a measure would risk exposing national secrets.
"We attach great significance to the nation's demands," in the nuclear talks with the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany), Rouhani said, adding, "The framework outlined by the establishment have always been taken into consideration by the negotiators."
"If the other side to the talks follows the same framework and stops making excessive demands, the deal will within reach."
Iran and its international negotiating partners are trying to work out the details of the final pact by a June 30 deadline. Stressing that Tehran is not seeking to "buy" or "kill" time in the negotiations, Rouhani said, "We do not consider ourselves constrained by time and we are not in a rush. We are making the best use of our time and power to reach (a good) deal."
Renewing Iran's call that sanctions should be removed simultaneously with the implementation of the prospective accord, he said, "We are asserting the principle of simultaneity (in the negotiations)."
Until two years ago the major powers, both western and eastern, had refused to recognize Iran's right to uranium enrichment, however, the negotiators have get them to recognize this right, which is the "greatest victory" secured in the negotiations so far, Rouhani said.
"Today, no one in the world, including even the western powers and (other members of) the P5+1, has any doubt that Iran retains the right to enrichment and that Natanz and Fordo nuclear sites will remain in operation."
Stressing that sanctions have failed to achieve their intended objective to force the nation into surrender, Rouhani said, "But sanctions have created some problems for our society."
When it comes to effectively running the country's affairs, the issue of "management definitely overrides (that of) sanctions."
However, it cannot be denied that sanctions "have cast their illegal, unjust and inhuman shadow" on the country, he added.
