No new developments in Iran, US talks: official

No new developments in Iran, US talks: official
Sat Jul 20, 2013 21:23:32

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says there have been no new developments with regards to direct negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the US.

“No new issue has been raised with regards to direct negotiations,” Araqchi said Saturday.

The Iranian official added that speculation by individuals or institutions have no concrete basis.

“The new [Iranian] administration has not made any decisions about entering talks with the US,” Araqchi added.

Former US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said in an article published by The Times Record on Friday that Tehran and Washington may hold their first direct negotiations in 34 years in the second half of 2013.

Earlier this week, nearly 120 American lawmakers in the US House of Representatives signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to engage in negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rohani won 50.7 percent of the latest presidential election in Iran to secure an outright victory.

This is while according to a report by The Washington Post, the US Congress has postponed sending its annual sanctions legislation on Iran to the White House.

Citing Congressional Quarterly, the report claimed that the legislation will not be considered until October at the earliest.

While no specific reason has been officially announced as to why the sending of the legislation has been delayed, The Washington Post report said it might have been due to certain considerations by the Congress following the election of Rohani.

The US, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran might be pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Washington and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on Iran.

Tehran strongly rejects the groundless claim 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.

HH/HH

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