Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Temkin Jafarov, Saeed Isayev - Trend:
Iranian Supreme Leader's ban on nuclear weapons is a strategic opinion, which explains why country's defensive doctrine has no place for nuclear weapons, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, Tasnim News reported on Jan. 8.
Zarif made the remarks during the meeting with former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw.
Straw and his delegation arrived in Tehran on Jan. 7, for a 3-day visit, to discuss issues of mutual interest with high-ranking Iranian officials.
"Iran has proved that it cannot be stopped with pressure," Zarif added.
"There is a wall of mistrust between Iran and the West, so in order to reach mutual understanding it's necessary to create mutual trust," Zarif noted.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical researches instead.
Iran's negotiating team and the P5+1 group reached a nuclear agreement on Nov. 24. Iran has agreed to curb some of its nuclear activities for six months in return for sanctions relief.