'Europe weakened its position in future negotiations on Iran's n-programme'

Tehran, Oct 5 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Europe has weakened its position in future talks on Iran's nuclear programmes. He said that the three European nations have weakened their role and will play a much smaller part in any future talks, local media reported. 

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday, Araqchi said all nations know about Iran's rightful stance and the manner in which Western powers created the situation. He stressed that Iran has consistently sought fair and balanced solutions and accused Western nations of rejecting them due to their excessive demands, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

Speaking on the recent talks held in New York, Araghchi called diplomacy the only way forward. He stated: "For years, they threatened military action and used the snapback mechanism, but just as war was not a solution, snapback also proved ineffective. The three European countries thought they held leverage with snapback, but its use resolved nothing."

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said: "The three European countries have certainly diminished their role and lost their justification for negotiations. In any future talks, they will play a much smaller part." Reiterating Iran's readiness for solutions, he said that Iran has in practice demonstrated that it only wants to secure its rights while being ready for any negotiated result.

Earlier in September, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi termed the unlawful and criminal attacks against Iran and the damage caused to its nuclear installations as a dark and perilous chapter in the history of the non-proliferation regime.

During his joint meeting in New York which was attended by EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, he said that the discussions over the past month were held with a view to finding diplomatic solutions to Iran's nuclear issue and preventing an escalation of tensions was analysed, Tasnim News Agency reported.

He spoke about Iran’s principled stance and concrete steps taken in recent months to dispel any doubt about the country’s nuclear program, characterised the unlawful and criminal attacks against Iran and the damage caused to its nuclear installations as a dark and perilous chapter in the history of the non-proliferation regime.

--IANS

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