During the latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 in the Kazakh city of Almaty, Iran’s chief negotiator Saeed Jalili urged the two sides to take “transparent and practical” steps for a positive outcome to the negotiations, Undersecretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Baqeri said on Thursday.
“In fact, we demanded that the other side make its decision and the ball is now in P5+1’s court,” he added.
He stressed that Iran has acquired its right to enrichment as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and not from the P5+1.
“However, Westerners are seeking to raise questions over this issue under some pretexts, and we want this absolute right of Iran to be consolidated in the negotiations,” Baqeri pointed out.
The Iranian official said the date and venue of the next round of talks were not specified during the Almaty 2 meetings because representatives of the P5+1 wanted to hold consultations with their respective countries’ top officials.
There are “serious disagreements” among the P5+1 member states which are “clear and undeniable,” he said.
Iran has strongly emphasized in all negotiations that it seeks to achieve its rights based on the NPT and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations, Baqeri explained.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany wrapped up their latest round of negotiations on April 6 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Speaking at a press conference after the talks, Jalili said that Iran provided a comprehensive operational plan to the P5+1 and it is now up to the group to decide on how to respond to the Iranian proposals.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the group of six powers, said on the same day that the two sides of the negotiations “remain far apart on the substance” of the talks.
However, she added, “Indeed, we have talked in much greater detail than ever before, and our efforts will continue in that direction.”
The US, Israel and some of their allies claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the false claim as pretext to impose illegal sanctions against Iran.
Tehran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the NPT and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.