Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Defending the Islamic Republic's nuclear rights and amount of the active centrifuges is in line with the country's independence, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, head of the conservatives' faction in the parliament said, Iran's Fars news agency reported Jan. 8.
Iran's independency is not linked only to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the senior conservative MP said, adding that defending the number of centrifuges is defending the country's independence.
Haddad Adel made the remarks while addressing an Iranian conservatives' conference in Tehran.
Some say that Iran should be optimistic towards West and normalize its relations with them, but the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's viewpoint is opposite to that, Haddad Adel said.
The conservative MP's statement can be considered as a response to President Hassan Rouahni's statements on the country's nuclear issue. Rouhani said on Jan. 4 that the country's ideals "are not linked to centrifuges but to our hearts and determination."
His statements triggered a fresh round of debates between the government and the Iranian hardliners.
Some experts believe that the Iranian president's statements were a signal saying that the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges Iran can keep is not what matters most in a final agreement with the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US).
The US insists that the Iran should keep a single-digit thousands of centrifuges. Iran currently has 18,000 centrifuges, half of them are active.
Talks between Iran and the P5+1 group is extended until July 1, 2015, to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement.
After the sides failed to meet the 24 Nov. 2014 deadline they also extended the Geneva nuclear deal, which was signed in November 2013 for providing Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.
A fresh round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers is scheduled for Jan. 18 in Geneva , Switzerland.
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