“[US Secretary of State] John Kerry and [Saudi Foreign Minister Prince] Saud al-Faisal and other Saudi officials are well aware that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been moving in line with its rights within the framework of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) and its activities are peaceful,” Hossein Sobhaninia stated on Tuesday.
Sobhaninia condemned Faisal's remarks as aimed at mounting pressure on Tehran following the positive negotiations held between Iran and the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- in Kazakhstan on February 27-28.
On Monday, Kerry met with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh, where he warned Iran that the window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution “cannot by definition remain open indefinitely.”
The Saudi minister, for his part, said, “The clock is ticking and the negotiations cannot go on forever."
The Iranian lawmaker stated that Iran will not seek the Saudi or US green light to pursue its nuclear rights.
“These people (Kerry and Faisal) should be realistic and respect the rights of other nations and should not allow themselves to interfere in other countries’ affairs,” he added.
Sobhaninia also dismissed repeated war threats against Iran by Israel’s hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting the Zionist premier -- infamous for his warlike remarks -- cannot possibly draw Washington into a new war.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the EU using this pretext to impose several rounds of illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Tehran rejects the allegation and maintains that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
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