Iran to quit talks if interests not secured: Araghchi

Deputy Foreign Minister and senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said Tehran attaches no importance to media hype and will continue to hold talks as long as there is respect at the negotiating table.

He made the remark in reaction to comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who said Saturday that “significant gaps” remained and warned that Washington was ready to walk away from the talks if Tehran didn’t agree to terms demonstrating that it doesn’t want atomic arms.
Araghchi further said the Iranian nation and nuclear negotiators will never surrender to threats, bullying, pressures, and force

“We have already faced this kind of American rhetoric and it is unfortunate that they repeat it while it has proved a total failure,” Araghchi added.

“Both Americans and other members of 5+1 Group (Russia, Britain, France, China, Germany) have experienced several times that political or media pressures do not cause Iran to change its approaches, demands, and stances in the negotiations whatsoever.”

Stressing that the negotiations should continue in a win-win situation, Araghchi said if one side tries to impose its will, Iran will have no doubt to walk away from the talks, “but this is not the situation we are in now. We continue the talks strongly, but whenever we feel that the negotiations do not secure our national interests, we will certainly walk away.”

On the presence of Director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi and US Energy Secretary in the negotiations, Araghchi said involvement of Salehi in the talks was very useful because he is an expert on technical aspects of the talks.

“We can’t claim yet that there is a breakthrough in the talks and there are still gaps, but all the sides are seriously trying to get closer to a settlement, although there are not complete solutions in key problems, yet,” said the Iranian negotiator.