Iran ready for inspection of nuclear facilities, but won’t accept coercion: President Pezeshkian

Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country is ready for inspection of its nuclear facilities, but does not accept coercion.

Pezeshkian made the remarks in a meeting, on Saturday, with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in the Iranian capital Tehran while commenting on the ongoing indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

He said that Iran’s nuclear activities were completely “transparent,” and the International Atomic Energy Agency had confirmed it repeatedly, Xinhua news agency reported.

“As we are ready for inspections, we consider as unacceptable any deprivation of nations of knowledge, technology and scientific achievements,” he said, adding that Iran was always ready to listen to logical discourse but would never accept “coercion and bullying.”

The Kazakh foreign minister, for his part, expressed his country’s respect for Iran’s “principled and logical” positions on peaceful nuclear activities.

Nurtleu submitted a written message from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Pezeshkian. Nurtleu said he hoped the message would “open a new chapter in the two countries’ relations.”

The two sides agreed to promote bilateral relations in all areas, according to the statement.

The Kazakh foreign minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday morning and was welcomed by his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the official news agency IRNA reported.

They held a meeting on bilateral and regional issues later in the day and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of diplomatic archives.

Iran and the United States have held five rounds of Oman-mediated indirect talks starting from April on Tehran’s nuclear program and the lifting of US sanctions.

–IANS