TEHRAN - Senior nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday Tehran will never accept any extension of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program beyond the ten years’ time agreed in the recent deal struck between the Islamic Republic and six major world powers.

On Monday the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution endorsing a July 14 deal finalized by Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany.

Under the accord, Iran will be subjected to long-term curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of U.S., European Union and UN sanctions.

Araqchi said in a televised conference that any effort to re-impose sanctions after ten 10 years would breach the deal.

“This is out of question. What the United Nations Security Council resolution approved two days ago was totally clear,” he stressed, adding, “There is no ambiguity over that.”

According to Reuters, the six world powers and the European Union told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this month that after 10 years they planned to seek a five-year extension of the mechanism allowing sanctions to be re-imposed.

“Intending to propose a new resolution after 10 years and having the issue of reversibility extended for several years is a demand they [the U.S.] have voiced; in our viewpoint, however, it has no credibility and is not part of the agreement,” Press TV quoted Araqchi as saying.

Araqchi stressed “Our priority is our national interests, not UN Security Council’s resolutions.”

The Resolution 2231 allows all UN sanctions to be re-imposed if Iran violates the agreement in the next 10 years. If Iran adheres to the terms of the agreement, all the provisions and measures of the U.N. resolution would end in 10 years.


-------- “Iran keeps backing its allies”

Araqchi also said Iran would do “anything” to help allies in the Middle East, underlining Tehran’s message that despite the deal Iran will not change its anti-Western foreign policy.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told supporters on Saturday that U.S. policies in the region were “180 degrees” opposed to Iran’s.

--------- Resolution 2231 does not cover issue of S-300 missiles

The senior Iranian diplomat further said that Resolution 2231 does not cover the delivery of S-300 missile system to Iran by Russia.

There are only seven weapons the sales of which to Iran are restricted [based on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)], which do not include defensive items such as S-300, he said.

As for the settlement of the issue of the so-called possible military dimensions (PMD) of Iran’s nuclear program, Araqchi expressed confidence that the issue can be rationally resolved and through keeping both sides’ concerns in mind.

He further referred to a recent “roadmap” devised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to settle issues, and said the so-called PMD and the disagreement over Parchin military site will be addressed through the mechanism of the roadmap.

MD/OS