Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran is determined to reach a final agreement with the six major world powers, resolve the nuclear dispute, and allay any reasonable concerns about its nuclear energy program.

He said Washington's new sanctions against companies and individuals don't contradict the Geneva deal, Iranian media reported.

Iran and the P5+1 reached a deal in Geneva on November 24, after several days of intensive negotiations. With the agreement, Iran has agreed to curb some nuclear activities for six months in return for sanctions relief.

The U.S. recently blacklisted additional companies and individuals charged with evading existing sanctions against Iran.

Zarif said putting the name of some individuals and companies on the blacklist is part of the previous sanctions, and not a new one.

Zarif also warned that Tehran can end suspension of its 20-percent uranium enrichment in one day if the other party to the Geneva deal defies its undertakings

Iran has 19,000 centrifuges Zarif said, adding that 8,000 to 9,000 of that amount are spinning with uranium, and other ones are being stopped or are spinning without uranium.

He also repeated his earlier remarks that "the structure of the sanctions against Iran is falling apart".

Iran and P5+1 Group will resume the expert-level nuclear negotiations on December 19 in Geneva, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi said.

Araqchi said after meeting with EU High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton in Brussels on December 17, they agreed to keep nuclear talks in spite of the U.S. blacklisting some Iranian and foreign companies and individuals last week.

The Iranian delegation left the expert-level negotiations in Vienna a day after that.

Araqchi, also the top nuclear negotiator for Iran, harshly condemned the U.S.'s latest action, but said that after talking with Ashton, who leads the P5+1 group's negotiations with Iran, the nuclear talks will continue.

He quoted Ashton as saying that P5+1 is serious to continue nuclear talks with Iran.

The United States and some of Western countries suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. Iran says it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and is using nuclear energy for medical research instead.