Iran committed to not possessing nuclear weapons, says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Iran’s new leadership, like its predecessors, remains committed to the obligation not to possess nuclear weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with TASS.

"No one is arguing that the Islamic Republic of Iran should have nuclear weapons. This has always been accepted by both former and current leaders of the Islamic Republic," the diplomat said. The deputy foreign minister noted that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) addresses these issues and "sets out all relevant obligations, which the Iranian side has never renounced."

"At the same time, the NPT also provides Iran with the right to peaceful nuclear energy under IAEA supervision without any restrictions, including uranium enrichment," Ryabkov emphasized. "That right is inalienable and cannot be subject to any external, opportunistic interpretation. Only the Iranian people determine how to properly exercise it, based on their national interests," the deputy foreign minister said.