Iran Warns: New Sanctions May Block Nuclear Deal

Local Editor

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that any new sanctions may make roads to a nuclear deal difficult, in a joint press conference on Sunday.

Zarif stated that there was a mentality among the US officials which led them to think that they would succeed in their campaign against Iran through coercive measures.

Zarif told reporters, "We always believed that this mentality is dangerous and unconstructive which makes a deal more difficult to achieve," in a joint press conference in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Sunday with his Finn counterpart Erkki Tuomioja.

He added that the US should take the responsibility of its actions to hamper the course of negotiations.

"We keep the right to retaliate with similar actions if necessary; however, our foremost commitment is to hammer out a deal with Powers, and work to abort such mentality in the region and in international level as well," he said.

Zarif told reporters that Iran believed that there is a possibility for an agreement which guarantees peace and security in the region.

"We should not be concerned with addressing concerns of others who would not welcome a solution. We are serious and have a mutual understanding with our society," Zarif emphasized.

In response to a question by a Finn journalist about what sort of agreement would satisfy Iran, Zarif said that Iran was committed to Geneva Joint Plan of Action provisions.
"One which guarantee that Iran's nuclear program will remain peaceful, and the other which removes all sanctions and restrictions," Zarif elaborated.

"We believe that nuclear weapons would have a devastating effect on our national security," he added.

Meanwhile, Zarif expressed gratitude to Finn foreign minister's visit to Tehran and pointed to more than a century of political relations between the two countries.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team