TEHRAN -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi here on Monday dismissed a report that Tehran has received a letter from Washington to enter negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.

Qashqavi also said security of the Arab regional countries is entwined with Iran’s. “Any threat against them is a threat against us,” he told a regular news briefing.
The spokesman said that Iran keeps its relations with the regional states completely separate from the United Sates, describing Islam and neighborhood as the major factors in strengthening ties between regional states.
“There have been no ties between Tehran and Washington over the past thirty years,” Qashqavi said, highlighting great cultural, political, and economic cooperation between Iran and Arab regional states.
He also strongly denied U.S. allegations that Iran is interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs, saying, “The U.S. is trying to deflect attention away from its failures in Iraq.”
Pointing to a great economic cooperation between Iran and Iraq, he said, “Security provides initial impetus to economic bilateral ties.”
“Iran has played a pioneering role in bringing peace and stability to Iraq,” Qashqavi averred, expressing hope that more security would be provided along the common borders following the coming talks between the two sides’ officials.
Qashqavi also dismissed reports that Iran has received any letter from the U.S., saying such “claims are not true.”
In a recent report the Israeli daily Haaretz claimed that Washington has sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) chief, urging Tehran to enter into negotiations with the United States and that negotiations should reach a conclusion by October otherwise more sanction would be imposed on Tehran for its nuclear program.
“No official and political sources informed us that there would be a negotiation between Iran and U.S.”
He also confirmed a future visit to Tehran by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, saying details of his trip will be released in the near future.
Iran’s and Israeli nuclear activities totally different
On the recent claims by the Egyptian foreign minister who had said there was no difference between Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s nuclear weapons program, Qashqavi stressed, “No comparison can be made between our civilian nuclear activities and Israel’s nuclear weapons program. they are totally different”.
He said according to Israeli president’s recent announcement “Israel has stockpiled 200 nuclear warheads… (while) our activities are being supervised and monitored by the IAEA, whose numerous reports have all confirmed the peaceful nature of them.”
Israel is posing a serious threat to the international security, and Iran, as a signatory to the IAEA Statute and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is also observing the terms of the additional protocol to the NPT, has been living up to its obligations, Qashqavi explained