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Iran warns new sanctions harm ongoing nuclear talks

Xinhua, January 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Any new sanctions against Iran will seriously hurt the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers, and the U.S. will be responsible for the probable failure, a senior Iranian lawmaker said Saturday.

Any new sanctions on Iran is against the Geneva accord, and "if this happens it will definitely put an end to the talks," Hossein Naghavi-Hosseini, the spokesman for the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, was quoted as saying by semi-official ISNA news agency.

The six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- and Iran clinched an interim agreement in Geneva in November 2013, whereby Iran agreed to cap its nuclear program in exchange for limited sanction relief.

However, the deadline for following negotiations was extended twice last year, yet with no major breakthroughs.

If the ongoing nuclear negotiations fail, "the United States will be responsible for the failure of the talks," Naghavi-Hosseini said referring to the recent moves by some U.S. Congressmen to impose fresh sanctions against the Islamic republic.

A new draft is being prepared by the Majlis which means "to oblige the government to resume nuclear enrichment using new generation of centrifuges," Hossein Naghavi Hosseini said.

"Majlis' nuclear committee is working on the technical aspects of the draft in detail," he was quoted as saying.

If the western countries hinder the progress of the talks, the Iranian government will have to upgrade uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity, he added.

Iran has been a target of UN sanctions due to its alleged attempts to build nuclear weapons. The West accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear programs, which Iran has denied, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

The sides agreed in November 2014 to extend the deadline for another seven months aimed to reach a political agreement within the next five months.

How much nuclear capability Iran can keep, and the steps to lift West-imposed sanctions against Tehran are the main sticking points for the ongoing negotiations. Endit