Iranian president says final nuclear deal 'within reach'
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Version 0 of 1. President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday said a final nuclear deal was “within reach” as Iran and world powers face a 30 June deadline for an agreement. The Iranian leader also said he was following the case of Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who has been detained in the Islamic Republic for nearly 11 months. On the nuclear talks, Rouhani told a press conference that negotiations between Iran and the six-nation group – the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany – were making progress, although some gaps still remained. “If the other party respects the rights of the Iranian nation and our national interests and doesn’t seek excessive demands, I believe a deal is within reach,” he said. Rouhani said Iran would allow inspections of its nuclear facilities but vowed that it would not allow its state “secrets” to be jeopardised under the cover of international inspections. “Iran will not allow that its state secrets be put at the disposal of others under the pretext of additional protocol. It’s definite that we won’t allow it,” he said. Rouhani was addressing a news conference on the second anniversary of his election. He won the presidency with a campaign that promised he would work to lift international economic sanctions and end Iran’s international isolation. Regarding Rezaian, the Post’s 39-year-old bureau chief in Tehran who has had two trial sessions at a Revolutionary Court, he said he was committed to pursuing the legal rights of all Iranians, even citizens of other countries who lived in Iran. He said Rezaian’s case was no exception. Rezaian is a dual US-Iranian citizen, but Iran does not recognise dual nationality. Rezaian faces charges including espionage and spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic, which the Post has said carry 10- to 20-year prison sentences if he is convicted. US officials, the Post and rights groups have strongly criticised Rezaian’s trial, demanding he be freed. Rouhani said that he remained committed to his plan of “constructive engagement” with the outside world. Negotiators reached a framework agreement in early April to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. The deal is to be finalized by a self-imposed deadline of 30 June. Iran has agreed to grant United Nations inspectors “managed access” to military sites as part of a future deal, including letting them take environmental samples in the vicinity of military bases. But Rouhani and others have repeatedly stated that international inspectors will not be allowed to conduct inspections on the grounds of military sites. |