Iran nixes possibility it would attend nuclear talks with Israel present
FM Zarif also denies rumor that an Israeli representative attended the Geneva round of meetings.
By JPOST.COM STAFFIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Ruben Sprich )
Comments made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday, rebuffed the possibility that Iran was willing to allow Israel to participate on talks over it's nuclear program or in any other meeting where the Islamic Republic is present.“Today, the biggest threat to the international community is Israel, and we never stay in a room where this regime’s representative is present,” Zarif said at a press conference in the Iranian city of Qom on Friday, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported.Zarif firmly denied rumors that an Israeli representative had attended the recent nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the world powers in Geneva, according to the report.In addition, Zarif expressed optimism that the initial agreement reached in Geneva would improve relations between Iran and the West.“Our nation strongly distrust the West, and now the western countries have been given an opportunity to dispel that,” Tasnim quoted him as saying. Earlier this week Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that he and US President Barack Obama agreed an Israeli team headed by National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen would leave for the US shortly to discuss the permanent agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue.The deal reached between Iran and the world powers is a six-month agreement with an option to extend, meant to limit the Iranian nuclear program as the world powers try to hammer out a comprehensive accord with Iran. In return, Iran received some sanctions relief.Herb Keinon contributed to this report.
