According to Khabar Online political correspondent, Salehi attended a joint press conference with his Nicaraguan counterpart Samuel Santos López in Tehran on Sunday where he censured the behavior of British officials after downgrading ties with Iran.
Salehi reacted to the remarks made by British Foreign Secretary William Hague a day earlier claiming that through its nuclear ambitions and efforts to get atomic weapons Iran will plunge the Middle East into a Cold War.
"Among the methods to put our country under pressure is the intensification of media pressure. Such statements made by Western officials are aimed to achieve propagandistic results and create an unpleasant media atmosphere." the top Iranian diplomat said.
"By making such statements they think they would give cause for concern, but the Islamic Republic of Iran is moving forward with power and honor and is not worried for such positions and remarks," he added.
The former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization asserted that Iran has not any doubt in pursuing its peaceful nuclear program: "We are moving ahead with confidence and at the same time are prepared to face the worst scenarios."
"The remarks made by British foreign Secretary are contradictory, since from one hand they welcomed the letter Iran sent to the European Union (EU) foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, and from the other they say such things,” he commented on the issue.
Earlier in response to Ashton’s letter, Salehi announced that Iran is willing to follow negotiations on its nuclear program with the world powers based on mutual respect. As well as Salehi, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Sa'eed Jalili expressed Iran's readiness to follow nuclear talks.
In a formal reply to the EU foreign affairs chief, Iran sent a letter on February 15 which contains suggestions about the date, venue, and agenda of a new round of talks, Mehr news agency reported.
Iran’s Foreign Minister went on to say: "The West officials have not learnt to use logic, wisdom and adopt humane methods. They are still employing their arrogant methods as colonialists did in approaching the issues, but they will soon realize that independent nations are not impressed by them."
Salehi expressed his hope that the Western countries change their method in relation with Iran: "They used their usual method, but their actions have been inconsequential. We advise them to apply a method based on interaction."
In response to a question about the objectives of Iran's upcoming negotiations with 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany), he said: "We want to resolve the issue. We are ready to begin constructive negotiations and waiting for their response."
"We understand their situation. They are looking for a respectful way out of the issue and we are ready to prepare the ground for their respectful way out by bringing new initiatives to the table."
During the press conference, the Nicaraguan foreign minister said that his country maintains that that all nuclear weapons in the world should be abolished.
In another development, a five-member team from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Tehran for two days of talks with Iranian officials.
Elsewhere at an ECO meeting in Tehran on Monday Salehi stated: “I believe that again this relation will be back on its earlier state.”
He seems confidant that despite some ups and downs the relations between Iran and Europe cannot continue in this way for a long time.
“Europeans cannot be needless of us, and Iran, due to its old relations with European countries, needs Europe,” the Foreign Minister noted.
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