US Secretary of State John Kerry, meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the United Nations in New York April 27, 2015. (Agence France-Presse)
New York:
Iran is willing to submit to the highest level of international transparency on its nuclear program and wants to conclude a final accord as soon as possible, its foreign minister said today.
"The (UN nuclear agency) IAEA has seen everything and if you're looking for a smoking gun, you've got to wait a long, long, long time before you get one," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told an audience at New York University.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany have begun drafting a final nuclear accord which is due by June 30.
The agreement is intended to ensure the wholly peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of a raft of international sanctions imposed since 2006.
Tehran is ready to accept the "highest level of international transparency" available to members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, said Zarif.
"Iran is prepared, within an agreement, to accept the additional protocol and I think with that you will have all the transparency that you need."
About the June 30 deadline, Zarif said: "No time deadline is sacrosanct."
"We want to finish this way before June 30," the minister said.
"We want to use every opportunity, including working around the clock starting next Monday, starting tomorrow actually here in New York, and then next Monday somewhere in Europe, to finalize all the elements," he said.
"The (UN nuclear agency) IAEA has seen everything and if you're looking for a smoking gun, you've got to wait a long, long, long time before you get one," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told an audience at New York University.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany have begun drafting a final nuclear accord which is due by June 30.
The agreement is intended to ensure the wholly peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of a raft of international sanctions imposed since 2006.
Tehran is ready to accept the "highest level of international transparency" available to members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, said Zarif.
"Iran is prepared, within an agreement, to accept the additional protocol and I think with that you will have all the transparency that you need."
About the June 30 deadline, Zarif said: "No time deadline is sacrosanct."
"We want to finish this way before June 30," the minister said.
"We want to use every opportunity, including working around the clock starting next Monday, starting tomorrow actually here in New York, and then next Monday somewhere in Europe, to finalize all the elements," he said.
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