Iran Nuclear NewsIran must respond to nuclear concerns: Brazil

Iran must respond to nuclear concerns: Brazil

-

AFP: Sanctions may not have closed the door for talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, but the ball is now in Tehran’s court to allay international fears, Brazil’s foreign minister said here Wednesday.

SOFIA (AFP) — Sanctions may not have closed the door for talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, but the ball is now in Tehran’s court to allay international fears, Brazil’s foreign minister said here Wednesday.

During a two-day visit to Sofia, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said he was aware that “there were concerns expressed by the Vienna Group” — the United States, France and Russia — over a May 17 fuel swap deal between Iran, Brazil and Turkey.

“I think now it is up to Iran to react to these,” he told journalists.

Iran’s tripartite deal to exchange 1,200 kilogrammes (2,640 pounds) of its low-enriched uranium for higher grade fuel was cold-shouldered by world powers with the UN, EU and US slapping new sets of sanctions on Tehran.

“My frank opinion is that sanctions do not help. But I am encouraged by the fact that Iran has had so far a rather flexible response,” Amorim added.

In Tehran, a foreign ministry statement said that the three parties had decided to meet soon for talks.

Following a telephone call on Wednesday from Amorim to his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki, it was “decided to examine at a meeting soon… the follow-up to the Tehran agreement,” the statement said.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov meanwhile noted that “it is most important at the moment not to take the decision by the UN Security Council for additional sanctions as closing the door for negotiations and talks with Iran.”

“I hope the Iranian authorities will be ready to sit at the table for an open dialogue on all issues concerning their nuclear programme with the Vienna Group and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) to find a solution to this situation,” he added.

“I agree that maybe the sanctions do not close the door (to talks), I hope that this is the case. But I think that the rush to sanctions was a bit disappointing from our point of view,” Amorim said.

He appeared encouraged that French President Nicolas Sarkozy was willing to continue negotiations with Iran, based on the Brazil and Turkey proposal, and he praised the “positive mood” in Iran’s general response to that proposal.

“I think this is a good development.”

Amorim added: “We have felt especially on the part of one of the members of the so-called Vienna Group, the willingness and the desire to have a continued engagement by Turkey and Brazil.”

“And if this is also the desire of Iran, which I think it is, but also of the other two (Vienna Group members) we will be more than glad to help,” he said.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Iran’s Disregard of Human Rights Highlighted in Amnesty International Report

Iran Focus London, 23 Feb - Amnesty International has...

Iranian Environmentalists Sentenced to 58 Years in Jail 

By Jubin Katiraie The representative for the Iranian judiciary announced Tuesday that...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you