Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif returned to the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday evening accompanied by his delegation after cutting a historic deal with world powers over his country’s nuclear programme.
Hundreds of cheering Iranian supporters gathered outside Mehrabad airport to welcome Zarif and his team, carrying pictures of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as well as of Zarif, and displaying banners bearing slogans in support of their leaders and government.
The Iranian foreign minister briefed an Iranian channel about the deal upon his arrival at the airport, pointing out that all parties have now taken positive steps to reach an interim deal. Zarif said: “starting from Monday, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to negotiate with international forces in order to reach a final and permanent deal. The whole world can talk with the Iranian people if using the language of respect. The Western countries have resorted, with regret, to mistaken approaches in the past, but today their interests necessitate them to reach an agreement with Iran. They need to earn the trust of the Iranian people for their own sake”. Zarif noted that Iran’s biggest success is to have secured a formal recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium.
Zarif explained that Iran’s nuclear facilities would continue their activities with transparency, adding: “an important point of the deal is changing world perception through our spiritual leader’s fatwa stating that Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons because they are inconsistent with our beliefs.”