“We will enter negotiations to settle the nuclear issue within a definite time framework if our rights are guaranteed,” Zarif said in a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Friday ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
“We are ready to allay any concerns in this regard (Iran's nuclear energy program),” the Iranian minister added.
On Wednesday, Zarif said that Tehran is pursuing a win-win game in nuclear negotiations, stressing that pressure in negotiations will lead to nowhere.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on Iran.
Tehran strongly rejects the claim against its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The Iranian minister further said that Tehran regards Beijing as a long-term partner and emphasized that no country can undermine Tehran-Beijing relations.
The Chinese minister, for his part, said Beijing believes that Iran is an influential and important country, which plays a leading role in regional and international developments.
Wang added that he would pay a visit to Iran as soon as possible.
The Iranian and Chinese ministers also exchanged views on a range of issues including ways to bolster bilateral cooperation in energy and banking sectors.
The SCO is an intergovernmental security organization founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan have an observer status at the organization.
