NPT forms backbone of Iran nuclear talks with Group 5+1 - spokesman

Non-Proliferation Treaty forms the backbone of Iran's nuclear talks with Group 5+1, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Sunday, IRNA reported.

"Iran has been a signatory to NPT and signed the treaty in early stages of its emergence," he told a meeting on Media Diplomacy in the era of Islamic Awakening Movements.

He said that Group 5+1 lifted preconditions in Istanbul nuclear talks to speed up the outcome and the two parties agreed to focus on NPT in the nuclear talks.

Mehmanparast said that the western governments have violated NPT citing an article which prohibits proliferation of nuclear arms.

The spokesman said that the Islamic Republic of Iran never wants to militarize its national nuclear program and regards uranium enrichment as its legitimate rights as long as it has been for civilian use.

He said that Director-General of International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano has declared 20 percent enrichment as civilian and if the western governments acknowledge the civilian nature of Iranian nuclear program and ask for halting 20 percent enrichment, Iran will consider their request.

The quarterly IAEA report was issued to member states a day after six world powers - the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany, China and France - failed to convince Iran to halt its 20 percent enrichment during a May 23-24 meeting in Baghdad.

Iran started enriching to this level in 2010 and has since sharply expanded the activity, saying the material will serve as fuel for a medical reactor. But a suspicious West is alarmed since such enhanced enrichment accomplishes much of the technical leap towards 90 percent - or weapons-grade - uranium.

Iran has increased its stockpile of 20 percent uranium to around 145 kg in May from nearly 110 kg some three months ago, the report said. Western experts say about 250 kg is needed for a nuclear bomb, if processed further.