In the run-up to talks in Vienna, beginning on May 13, President Hassan Rouhani defended his approach to securing a final nuclear deal with the world’s six major powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Rouhani offered more transparency but warned that Iran’s “nuclear technology is not up for negotiation” in an address to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The following are excerpts from his remarks reported by various news agencies.
“We have nothing to put on the table and offer to them but transparency. That’s it. Our nuclear technology is not up for negotiation.
“Iran will not retreat one step in the field of nuclear technology.
“We are pursuing our national interests, and we will not accept nuclear apartheid.
“We want to tell the world they cannot belittle the Iranian nation; they have to respect it.
“Neither weakening, humiliation, sanctions or threats will work.
“What we can offer the world is greater transparency.
“If one engages in a technological endeavor but is not doing good legal and political work, then the enemy might come up with a fictional excuse to cause trouble for you.
“If you don't have good public relations and are not able to communicate well, then you might find other evil-minded people misleading world public opinion.
“We don't want to retreat one step from our pursuit of technology, but we want to take a step forward on the political front.
“We wanted to tell the world that our activities are moving in the right direction: If we say we can enrich to 3.5 percent, we can do it. If necessary we will do [it to] 20 percent.
“All of the commitments the West had to us [before the 1979 revolution]— from America to Germany to France — none of them were carried out.
“Neither was America ready, based on its own commitments, to give Tehran reactor fuel. Neither was Germany ready to continue its work at Bushehr. Nor was France ready to act on its commitments in the fields of the joint [plans]. They were not even ready to hand over the [uranium hexafluoride], which belonged to us.”
“The world today is forced to accept that the only way to deal with the Iranian nation is interaction and this nation does not bow to pressure and sanctions.
The West should “pursue the path of logic, dialogue and negotiations because they do not have any other choice vis-a-vis the great and resistant nation of Iran.”
Photo credit: President.ir