Senior Iranian lawmaker says Iran will make no concessions, P5+1 group must accept Tehran's advances in nuclear energy.
By JPOST.COM STAFFA general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor 311 R(photo credit: Reuters/ Raheb Homavandi)
The international community must accept Iran's civilian nuclear program or incur "heavy losses," a senior Iranian lawmaker told the official Islamic Republic News Agency on Sunday.The international group tasked with negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program, known as the P5+1, has accepted an Iranian offer to restart talks with Tehran.Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said that the P5+1 must acknowledge Iran's achievements in its civilian nuclear program, including advances in nuclear energy production and medical technology.Iran would not make concessions on its nuclear program, Boroujerdi said according to the report.He advised the P5+1 to avoid a "policy of confrontation" with Iran over its nuclear program, and called on the United Nations Security Council to lift sanctions on the Islamic Republic, which targeted Iranian assets, banned the supply of nuclear-related materials to Iran, and imposed an arms embargo.Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threatUS President Barack Obama has warned that Iran must "seize this opportunity of negotiations with the P5+1 to avert even worse consequences for Iran in the future.”Western nations have turned up the heat on Iran over its nuclear program, with EU regulators ordering SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) to deny Iranian banks access to its system, delivering a serious blow to the Iranian import-export market.Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, while the US and Israel have said that unless Tehran abandons its nuclear course, all options remain on the table.
