Rafsanjani tells West: Seize the nuclear opportunity

Chairman of State Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the West to seize the opportunity during the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran and defy the pressure of Israeli lobbies, AVA Diplomatic reports.

 “There is a bright outlook in ties between Iran and the West, and both sides can cooperate in scientific, technical and technological fields,” Ayatollah Rafsanjani said in a Wednesday meeting with Swiss Ambassador in Tehran Giulio Hass.

Referring to the history of Iran’s relations with the Western states, Rafsanjani said commitments to past agreements are key to improving ties.

He also said Iran and the Western states can cooperate to resolve problems facing the region or even the world.

Rafsanjani, who is also a former president, said Tehran is ready to supply natural gas to Europe in cooperation with Switzerland.

The construction of a gas pipeline between Iran and Europe “will be a permanent investment for ensuring the political security of Europe”, he said.

He called for boosting ties between Iran and Bern on the basis of their respective national interests.

The Swiss ambassador also said Iran could be a suitable alternative for meeting the energy needs of the West.

Commenting on ongoing talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers, Hass said a nuclear deal will be considered “a bright example of win-win negotiation” in the world.

He said that even the US wants a solution for the nuclear dispute between Iran and the West.

The envoy noted that Iran can play a golden role in resolving global problems.

Iran and P5+1 are in talks to hammer out a final nuclear deal to end a decade-long dispute.

President Hassan Rouhani has recently said if P5+1 shows real determination, a final nuclear agreement between Tehran and the six powers is possible before the deadline.

Last November, the two sides clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later. However, they agreed to extend their talks until November 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.