Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed confidence that the world powers can resolve their nuclear standoff with Iran and strike a final deal with the country if they really intend to do so.
"If the other side shows real resolve to settle the problem over Iran's nuclear issue, we can obtain results at the earliest," Zarif said in a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Ri Su-yong in Tehran on Sunday.
He further complained that the West has imposed a set of sanctions against Iran, while the Islamic Republic has never sought to develop military nuclear program and it believes that all countries which possess atomic weapons should be disarmed.
Zarif underscored Tehran's firm stance on pursuing a peaceful nuclear drive, and said, "Yet, no one in Iran accepts to give up the Iranian nation's inalienable right for the sake of the unfair sanctions, while the Islamic Republic of Iran won't allow the western states to display an incorrect image of Iran which is opposed to nuclear weapons."
Elsewhere, he referred to bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between Tehran and Pyongyang, and said, "The Iranian private sector can play a unique role in the expansion and deepening of trade and economic relations between the two countries and guarantee enhancement of ties by active presence in economic cooperation."
His remarks came as Iran and the G5+1 are scheduled to resume negotiations over a final deal on Tehran's nuclear program in New York on September 18.
"The official meeting of Iran and G5+1 will be held in New York on Thursday evening," senior Iranian negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi announced on Sunday.
Araqchi, also Iran's Deputy Foreign minister for legal and international affairs, told reporters Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton would have a working lunch on Wednesday, adding that the two would preside over the multilateral negotiations on Thursday.
"The Iranian team will leave for New York on Tuesday," said the deputy lead negotiator, adding that the Iranian delegation would have bilateral meetings with the G5+1 members on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.
"At these (bilateral) meetings, decisions will be made on how to proceed with the (multilateral) negotiations and the ministerial-level meeting," Araqchi concluded.
On September 1, Zarif and Ashton met in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the process of the ongoing nuclear talks.
After his negotiations with Ashton, the Iranian foreign minister said that he was optimistic that the issues related to the Iranian nuclear technology could be resolved within the time framework of the November 24 deadline.
Iran and the six world powers are currently in talks to work out a lasting accord aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over Tehran’s civilian nuclear activities.
Last November, the two sides signed an interim deal in Geneva, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.