Iran’s Rouhani: delaying return to nuclear deal will harm P5 + 1 group

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned on Thursday that further delay in returning to the 2015 nuclear deal signed between his country and the UN Security Council’s five permanent members (the P5); namely China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US; plus Germany will only harm the group.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of several economic projects, Rouhani stressed that Tehran does not want war and does not seek to acquire nuclear weapons, adding that his country has borne the burden of implementing the nuclear agreement and it is now the opposite party’s turn to reciprocate.

The Iranian president said returning to the nuclear deal and implementing UNSC Resolution 2231 will be in the interest of the P5 + 1 group and the world. He stressed that “whoever demands Tehran to take the first step must know that Tehran had paid the price of implementing the nuclear agreement on its own since Washington’s withdrawal from it.

The Iranian president said his country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had offered to implement Tehran’s pledges under the deal in return for the United States lifting the sanctions, but the new American administration did not take the opportunity.

“Iran will continue along the path of development, production and constructive dealings with the world until the end,” Rouhani said; adding that the new US administration is still far from understanding the facts in Iran.

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