IRAN | Nuclear agreement
President Rouhani vows to honour framework as Iranians celebrate
Dubai/ Tehran, April 3: Iran will honour the framework agreement for a nuclear accord provided world powers hold up their end of the bargain, President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday, hailing what he called a historic deal, which will be finalised by June 30.
“We don’t cheat. We are not two- faced,” Rouhani said in a live televised address, apparently referring to US President Barack Obama’s remarks that “If Iran cheats, the world will know it”.
“If we’ve given a promise ... We will take action based on that promise. Of course, that depends on the other side taking action on their promises too.”
He also said that deal was just the first step toward building a new relationship with the world. “This is a first step towards productive interactions with the world,” he said.
The tentative accord, struck on Thursday after eight days of talks in Switzerland, clears the way for a settlement to allay Western fears that Iran could build an atomic bomb, with economic sanctions on Tehran being lifted in return.
He added that world powers now accepted Iran could enrich uranium on its own soil, something he said they had once argued posed a threat to the region.
The accord marks the most significant step towards rapprochement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
“Today is a day that will remain in the historic memory of the Iranian nation,” Mr Rouhani said.
“Some think that we must either fight the world or surrender to world powers. We say it is neither of those, there is a third way. We can have cooperation with the world.”
Earlier, well- wishers hailed nuclear negotiators as they returned to Tehran on Friday from reaching a potentially historic framework deal with world powers.
In Iran — where crippling sanctions over its nuclear ambitions have left many suffering — the mood was joyful. Hundreds of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran in celebration after the agreement was announced, with drivers sounding their horns in approval along the capi- tal’s longest street, Val- eAsr Avenue.
Arriving in Tehran from the negotiations in the Swiss city of Lausanne, foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his team were welcomed by dozens of well- wishers.
“Viva Zarif ! Viva Araghchi!” the crowd chanted, in reference to the minister and top negotiator Abbas Araghchi.
In remarks at the airport, Mr Zarif praised Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for “his remarkable support for the negotiating team and his guidance” in the talks, the official IRNA news agency reported. Without the backing of the Supreme Leader, who set aside his deep mistrust of the United States to end decades of Iranian isolation, the deal would not have materialised.
Reaching out to Iranian hardliners who have opposed any deal that would curb Tehran’s nuclear activities, Mr Zarif said the agreement was not finalised.
“This set of solutions will be the basis for writing a final document,” he said. “We are proud because we will never surrender... But in return for the advantages that we gain, we will give things in return so we can move on,” he said. Residents lined the streets as Mr Zarif drove away from the airport, many carrying Iranian flags.