Iran President Hassan Rouhani says his administration will maintain dignity on its path to countering sanctions against the country over its nuclear energy program, PressTV reported.
"All meetings and discussions are aimed at protecting our nation's rights," Rouhani said on Monday.
He added that if Iranian officials have failed to uphold dignity to counter sanctions, all issues would have resolved sooner and without holding negotiations.
"It is natural that reaching an agreement and resolving the problems will take time," the Iranian president added.
The United States, Israel and some of their suspect Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and European Union using the claim as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions against Tehran.
Iran has categorically rejected the allegation, stressing that as a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The Iranian chief executive expressed hope that his administration would manage to take the initial step to solve the problems by the year-end (March 20, 2014).