Comprehensive nuclear accord 'possible': Iranian president

TEHRAN (Xinhua) - Despite "differences of views" over Iran's nuclear issue, it is "possible" for a comprehensive deal between Iran and the P5+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany, before July 20, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, the first anniversary of his presidential victory.

It is also "possible" to start drafting a final nuclear accord in the upcoming talks between Iran and the world powers next week, Rouhani said, but adding that before such a comprehensive nuclear deal all the sanctions against the Islamic republic should be lifted.

The West demands that Iran dramatically lower its uranium enrichment capacity, with concerns over Iran's Arak heavy water reactor which might be used for building nuclear weapons. But Iran insists on the "peaceful" nature of its nuclear activities, urging for a complete removal of sanctions.

Iran will go ahead with its nuclear enrichment activities despite the pressure imposed by western countries, its Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency on Saturday.

"Now, you cannot come to the negotiating table with the same proposals you had (in the past). Nobody can talk about symbolic enrichment anymore," Zarif said in response to recent remarks of French foreign minister who said that Iran had to accept western powers' proposal of having few hundred centrifuges if it wanted the due talks for a lasting deal on its nuclear program succeed.

There is no question that Iran will keep its enrichment activities, the Iranian president emphasized on Saturday, without elaborating on the West's demand to restrict its enrichment capacity. Iran has said it is serious in its talks with the world powers over its nuclear issue, and the West should seize the opportunity for a "historical" deal with Iran, he noted.

With P5+1 countries due to launch a new round of talks on Iran' s nuclear program, the West believes that further efforts and more work are necessary in a bid to reach a comprehensive and sustainable agreement.    

In case no final agreement is reached prior to July 20, the situation before the interim deal which was reached last November will not be repeated, since "the regime of sanctions against Iran has already been broken," Rouhani said, adding that Iran has much capacity to deal with the problems and to overcome them.

If the talks fail to result in a comprehensive deal, Iran will resume its high-grade uranium enrichment, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, said on Friday.

"We need hard work, wisdom and creativity to dilute differences, " however, "if the talks fail, Iran will return to 20 percent uranium enrichment," Araqchi said, adding that "failure to reach a comprehensive deal will be a disaster for both sides."

Before next week's Vienna nuclear talks, Iran has held bilateral meetings with members of the P5+1 countries to narrow their gaps. If all parties were to leave the negotiating table in Vienna without striking a final accord, then the talks could be extended for another six months under the terms of the November deal.