Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Muscat, Feb 12.- The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, stated that the US side has concluded that the ongoing negotiations between the two countries must be strictly confined to the nuclear issue.
In statements granted to Omani television during his visit to Muscat, the site of the first round of indirect talks held last week, the high-ranking Iranian official assured that the contacts do not include other matters and that Washington adopted a more realistic stance by limiting the dialogue to that area.
If the Americans' concern is that Iran does not move towards acquiring nuclear weapons, this is a solvable matter. However, including other topics in the negotiations will complicate the process, he pointed out.
Larijani maintained that previously the United States linked the nuclear dossier with military issues and the missile program, but that it now focuses the exchange solely on the nuclear issue, which he described as a rational approach, considering that military matters are not related to that dossier.
The Iranian official also warned that Washington must not allow Israel to influence the course of the negotiations according to its own positions, estimating that this could harm US interests.
The statements come just hours before the meeting at the White House between the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced he will address, among other topics, the negotiations with Iran.
Last Friday, Washington and Tehran held indirect talks in Muscat amidst a climate of tensions and a US military intensification in the region.
Uranium enrichment continues as one of the main points of divergence. Iran insists on the lifting of Western economic sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to prevent the manufacturing of atomic weapons, while the United States demands the total suspension of enrichment activities and the transfer abroad of highly enriched uranium.
Tehran has also reiterated that it will not negotiate over its missile program or other regional matters, and warned that it will respond to any military action against it. (Text and photo: PL)
