Iran to continue nuclear program decisively: Zarif

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the country’s nuclear issue can be resolved quickly, noting that the Islamic Republic will go ahead with its nuclear program.

“We believe that Iran’s nuclear issue can be resolved speedily, but I emphasize that we will proceed on this path decisively, strongly and firmly while safeguarding the [Iranian] nation’s rights,” Zarif told IRNA in New York on Tuesday.

He warned that any delay in the settlement of the Iranian nuclearissue would not benefit anyone, saying that it is possible to speed up the existing process in order to achieve a final result.

“Iran has taken the first step in order to prove to the world that it does not seek to develop nuclearweapons and has no intention in this regard, and now only the political will of the opposite side is needed to find a solution instead of seeking pretexts,” the Iranian minister added.

Iran’s foreign minister and his counterparts from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany held talks in New York on September 26 over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

The UN meeting was chaired by the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, who announced that the parties would meet again in Geneva on October 15-16 to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

Following the meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry said a deal with Iran over its nuclear program could come in a few months.

The US, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedlyaccused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Tehran has categorically rejected the allegation, arguing that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.