Rouhani: Illogical Demands to Harm Powers in Talks with Iran

TEHRAN  –  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined his government’s determination to remove the cruel sanctions against the country, and warned the world powers against raising illogical demands in nuclear talks with Tehran.

“I declare to all those countries which have moved on the path of these cruel sanctions and are possibly thinking today of taking more steps on this path that the era of threats and sanctions has ended,” Rouhani said, addressing a gathering of Iranian people in the Southern province of Bushehr on Tuesday.

He referred to the nuclear talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany), and said, “If the G5+1 and negotiators don’t choose the path of logic and don’t take rapid action vis a vis Iran, they should know that they will lose.”

Rouhani underscored that Iran will continue negotiations with logic and efforts to safeguard the Iranian nation’s rights along with peaceful coexistence and constructive interaction with the world within the framework of Iran’s national interests.

The 10th round of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers was held in Vienna from November 18 to 24, where the seven nations decided to extend the talks until July after they failed to strike an agreement.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and the country’s senior negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi announced last Tuesday that the next round of nuclear talks between Tehran and the G5+1 would be held at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 18.

Araqchi said that prior to the negotiations, the Iranian negotiating team would hold bilateral talks with delegations from the US and Russia.

Falling oil prices won’t pressure Iran, says Rouhani

On the other hand,  in an address to a gathering of people in the southern Iranian province of Bushehr on Tuesday, President Rouhani said, “Iran won’t be pressured by the slump in oil prices” as it has envisaged economic plans to compensate for the drop.

President Hassan Rouhani says the recent fall in global crude prices will not pressure the Islamic Republic.

Rouhani said that his administration has based the country’s budget on the lowest ever dependency on oil revenues, adding that oil sales account for only one third of Iran’s budget.

The Iranian chief executive described the recent drop in oil prices as a “conspiracy” against certain countries, saying those behind the scheme would regret the move.

Those behind the fall in prices won’t be able to continue on that path, he said.

The Iranian president said countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are losing the most since their budgets are heavily dependent on oil revenues.

Oil prices have plunged about 50 percent since June last year over increased supplies by certain countries such as Saudi Arabia, the largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and lackluster global economic growth.

OPEC, which pumps out about 40 percent of the world’s oil, has so far refrained from cutting its production to balance the market mainly due to opposition from Saudi Arabia.

FNA, PRESS T.V

R.S