“The issue of nuclear talks is very important for the country,” said Rezaei in a stump speech to a crowd of supporters in the city of Eslamshahr, on the outskirts of the capital, Tehran, on Thursday.
”We will continue negotiations in the next administration, but in a constructive way. In fact, talks should be based on national interests and values of the [Islamic] Revolution,” he pointed out.
“So far, the negotiations have been accompanied by the intensification of sanctions and in this regard we must change the course of the negotiations,” Rezaei said.
Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers - Russia, China, France, Britain, and the US plus Germany - have so far held several rounds of talks.
Rezaei said the US and its allies have threatened Iran and imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic out of frustration over the country’s technological achievements.
He stated that the US and other enemies of the Islamic establishment are killing time, adding that it is vital that Iran proceeds with engagement in diplomacy due to the ongoing tensions.
The presidential candidate further emphasized that sanctions and the current stalemate over Iran’s nuclear energy program should be brought to an end through dialog.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Using the unfounded allegation as pretext, the US and the EU have imposed illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Tehran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
