TEHRAN - Tehran Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Imami Kashani has said sanctions cannot hinder the progress of the Iranian nation.

His remarks came as Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanents members of the UN Security Council and Germany) met for talks on Friday in Istanbul. The talks will continue today.
Imami Kashani expressed hope that the talks will yield a positive result.
Commenting on the sanctions imposed on Iran, he stated that economic embargoes will not stop the Iranian nation from continuing on a path that it has chosen.
The cleric also advised Western countries to learn a lesson from their previous mistakes.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Imami Kashani said Iran’s invitation to the international representatives to visit its nuclear facilities showed that the country’s nuclear policy is transparent.
Last week, diplomats from Egypt, Cuba, Syria, Algeria, Venezuela, Oman, and the Arab League visited the Natanz enrichment facility and the Arak heavy water reactor in response to Iran’s invitation.
Some members of the UN Security Council and the European Union had also been invited but decided not to send representatives