TEHRAN
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has expressed Tehran's commitment to continue nuclear talks with the major powers to reach a final settlement over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
In comments made late Monday during a live televised address on state television, Rouhani said "Iran's logic is based on negotiations and dialogue. The nuclear talks will be sustained earnestly until a final agreement is reached."
His remarks came just a few hours after Iran and the world powers group called the P5+1 agreed in Austria's Vienna to extend nuclear negotiations till end of June 2015 after failing to meet the Nov. 24 deadline for a permanent settlement.
"The negotiating side at last understood that sanctions and pressure did not work against Iran," the Iranian president said.
He said Iran would not give up its nuclear activities, promising his people that the country’s nuclear technology and facilities would continue to function and centrifuges would not stop.
He pointed out Tehran's two main aims in the extended nuclear talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the U.S., U.K., China, France and Russia -- plus Germany.
"The first is the protection and improvement of the nuclear technology, and the second is the lifting of sanctions. It is important to see the negotiating side acknowledged the need for complete removal of the sanctions," he said.
He added that talks over lifting of international sanctions on Iran would continue.
Regarding Monday’s 10th round of nuclear talks in Vienna, Rouhani said significant progress had been made towards a final deal and conditions now were totally different from three or six months back.
"The perspectives of the two sides have come much closer and many of the matters in dispute have been settled, but we still have some ground to cover,” he added.
He also assured his people that during the talks the Iranian side did not cross any of the red lines designated by the Iranian people and their Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran had agreed to limit certain aspects of its controversial nuclear program in exchange for some relief in sanctions under a deal struck on Nov. 24, 2013, in Geneva.
The two sides back then had reached an agreement to strive for a permanent settlement within six months.
However, when those negotiations could not lead to an agreement, both parties had postponed the deadline until Nov. 24, 2014, which again was not met.
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