TEHRAN – Supreme Leader’s representative at the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said on Tuesday that Tehran will not hold talks with the U.S. unless Washington respects Iran’s inalienable rights.

Speaking at a conference on “national self-esteem, national flourishing”, the former nuclear negotiator said Iranians have mastered nuclear technology despite mounting pressure from major powers that have monopoly on nuclear technology.
Referring to the “rightful” strategy of the Islamic Republic on the nuclear issue, he said the U.S. has clearly declared its strong opposition to Iran’s nuclear achievements, and allegations of developing atomic weapons is just a pretext used by Western media outlets to impede Iran’s scientific progress.
Larijani noted that Iran’s achievements in nuclear technology do not belong to any specific administration.
Since the nuclear program is being implemented under the direct supervision of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, “governments have only had a role in deceleration or acceleration of the movement,” he explained.
Iran’s great scientific and nuclear accomplishments justify the country’s legitimate role in the international arena, he added