Iranian FM Mohammad Javaz Zarif listens to the questions of a journalist during a joint news conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel (not pictured) at the Iranian foreign ministry in Tehran, Iran on March 2, 2014. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian |
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TOKYO, March 5 (UPI) -- Iran is determined to convince members of the international community it doesn't need a nuclear weapons program, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said from the sidelines of an investment conference in Tokyo it shouldn't be "complicated" to show the international community a controversial nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
"We are resolved to settle the nuclear issue and its reason is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not after the acquisition of nuclear weapons and doesn't need them," he was quoted by the semiofficial Fars News Agency as saying.
In November, Tehran agreed to curb its uranium enrichment activity in exchange for modest relief from Western economic sanctions.
Under a voluntary agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran agreed to open itself up to more inspections.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano this week said he couldn't say for certain that all of Iran's nuclear research was for peaceful purposes.
Members of the P5-plus-1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany -- are expected to meet with Iranian representatives for another round of talks Friday in Vienna.