TEHRAN - Iran’s problems with the U.S. are still unsolved, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.

Zarif made the remarks as he hosted reporters who covered more than two years of nuclear talks between Iran and great powers (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany).

The minister said Iran painstakingly monitors how committed the six powers are to their deal, Fars news agency reported.

The chief diplomat, who led the nuclear talks, said the July 2015 nuclear agreement has turned into a “historical fact” with the authorization of the Supreme Leader and that the deal should be used as an opportunity to flourish national economy in line with the “resistance economy”.

“All, from critics to negotiators, should focus on the future and turn differences into a tool for reaching the common cause,” he stated.

“If occasion warrants, we have the procedures needed to return to previous times. We can quickly resume our past nuclear activities and there is no doubt we will be faster in that than the opposite side, which could in itself be a reason for the JCAPOA (nuclear deal) to live on.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, he hailed the massive turnout in elections on Friday, noting that the Iranian people will never allow anything to prevent them from shaping their future.

The huge turnout in Friday’s elections demonstrated the Iranians’ resolve to decide their fate irrespective of any problem, Zarif said.

---Meaningful election

“People’s presence in election was meaningful and thoughtful,” he noted.

He added, “Today all factions in the country are happy (about the results of elections)”.

On the same day, elections headquarters chief Mohammad Hassan Moqimi said 221 candidates were elected to the 290-seat Majlis and 138 candidates will fight the runoff for the 69 remaining seats.


SP/P