No nuclear deal with P5+1 unless UNSC bans lifted: Iran FM

Mohammad Javad Zarif and Romanian Deputy Foreign Minister Carmen Burlaco

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says there will be no agreement with P5+1 over Tehran’s nuclear energy program unless the UN Security Council’s sanctions against Iran are repealed.

“The P5+1 members should implement their commitment for the annulment of the UN Security Council’s sanctions,” Zarif told reporters after his meeting with Romanian Deputy Foreign Minister Carmen Burlaco in Tehran on Monday.

He added that the six countries should contribute to the lifting of sanctions against Iran through “UN Security Council’s mechanisms.”

“The P5+1 group cannot annul the UN Security Council’s sanctions by itself but as the five permanent members of the Security Council, they should know that no agreement will go into effect unless the P5+1 members fulfill their obligation to lift the Security Council’s sanctions against Iran,” Zarif pointed out.

In July, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US – plus Germany agreed on the extension of their discussions until November 24 in an effort to achieve a permanent nuclear deal.

Iran and the Sextet clinched a landmark interim deal in Geneva, Switzerland on November 23, 2013. The agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said on Monday that Iran and the P5+1 may hold talks at the ministerial level on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.

The two sides are expected to discuss ways of reaching a final agreement over Tehran’s nuclear energy program. Iran’s right to enrich uranium is a bone of contention between the two sides.