Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Iranian Foreign Minister said the West has to make "tough choices" in nuclear talks with Tehran in order to reach a final comprehensive deal.

In an article published by the Financial Times on March 19, Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote that the West will have to prove their words with action.

"As we enter talks on the comprehensive nuclear deal, our counterparts will have to make tough choices. They will have to back up rhetoric with action," Zarif said.

He called on the P5+1 to take full advantage of the opportunity provided by the talks to help end the "unnecessary crisis" over Iran's nuclear energy program.

Iran and the P5+1 group resumed their latest round of high-level nuclear talks on March 19.

Negotiation began on March 18, and the two sides are trying to hammer out a comprehensive deal following the Geneva interim accord last November.

Zarif, who leads Iran's delegation in the current round of nuclear talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in Vienna, said Iran is not holding talks for the sake of negotiating, nor to gain time.

He also added that Iran's engagement with the world is a national security priority.

Zarif reaffirmed Iran's opposition to nuclear weapons and said nukes are "obsolete tools of the past" which cannot provide security.

"Weapons of mass destruction are feeble instruments of security and deterrence. This is true for all states, but especially for Iran," he stressed.

He said Iran has proved that it is committed to its promises, and urged the opposite side to live up to their promises.

"We have shown once again that we keep our word. As the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) recently confirmed, we have kept all the promises we have made. It is now time for our counterparts to keep their side of the bargain," Zarif wrote.

On March 3, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said the Geneva deal, which took effect on January 20, is being implemented as planned.

Amano hailed Iran's efforts in implementing the Geneva deal, saying the implemented measures, and the further commitments that Iran has undertaken represent a positive step forward.

Iran and the P5+1 - Russia, China, France, Britain, and the United States plus Germany - reached a deal on November 24, 2013, in the Swiss city of Geneva to set the stage for settling the dispute over the Islamic Republic's nuclear energy program.

Under the Geneva deal, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for its agreement to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period. It was also agreed that no nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on Iran within the same timeframe.