“Nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as has been repeatedly said, will be purely for peaceful purposes,” Rouhani said in an interview with The Financial Times published on Friday, adding, “Our [defense] doctrine has no room for weapons of mass destruction.”
Asked whether dismantling Iran's nuclear facilities was a "red line" for the Islamic Republic, Rouhani replied, "100 percent."
The president’s remarks came after a historic deal between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany in the Swiss city of Geneva to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its nuclear energy program.
In exchange for Iran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the six world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The deal does not call for dismantling Iran's nuclear facilities.
Rouhani said Iran’s nuclear energy program has been “under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency” and its “nuclear sites are being constantly inspected with IAEA cameras.”
Rouhani downplayed the impact of US-led sanctions on Iran’s economy, saying that under the existing sanctions his government has managed to lower the inflation rate and foresees a positive economic growth for the next Iranian year.
Commenting on Iran's relations with the United States, the president said, “Iran-US problems are very complicated and cannot be resolved over a short period of time. Despite the complications, there has been an opening over the past 100 days, which can later widen.”
“The problems created over 35 years cannot be resolved over a limited time. The best test to see whether we are capable of building trust or not is this nuclear issue,” Rouhani added.
He also noted that some steps have been taken by Iran and the UK to move toward better relations.
The Iranian president expressed concern about the presence of terrorist groups in Syria, saying that the continuation of the bloodshed and civil war in Syria is against the region’s stability and should worry all countries.
“I am currently in negotiations with regional and western countries over the future of Syria. We are doing our best to help put an end to the civil war in Syria and for all terrorists to leave Syria,” he added.
Rouhani rejected the claim that Iran is secretly involved in negotiations with the US over Syria, but he said if Tehran attends the upcoming Geneva II talks on the Syrian crisis, “it will naturally talk to all members who will be present there.”
RA/SHI