Iran’s president described the right to enrich uranium as the country’s “red line” Sunday, as Tehran and the groups of six major world powers concluded negotiations in Geneva, reported the official Press TV.
Addressing Iranian lawmakers in Majlis, Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic “will not bow to threats by any power.”
According to Rouhani, the nations that took part in negotiations at Geneva regarding Iran's nuclear program “acted rationally, logically and tactfully,” the ISNA news agency added.
Rouhani also said that economic sanctions were harmful to the countries imposing them, not just Iran.
Talks in Geneva between the P5+1 states and Iran reportedly went well but hit a snag when France insisted Iran take certain steps and Iran refused. Speaking on France Inter radio, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the major stumbling blocks for France in the talks are the Arak reactor and the 20 percent enriched uranium stock.
Senior Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi said two weeks ago that Iran is continuing the enrichment of uranium to the 20-percent purity level.
Iran’s nuclear energy activities continue as in the past, said Boroujerdi, who is the chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis, or parliament.
Iran decided to enrich uranium to 20% purity "to provide fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients, after potential suppliers failed to provide the Islamic Republic with the required uranium," explained the Iranian news site.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netnayhau has said that the powers that met with Iranian representatives offered Iran "the deal of the century."
"They wanted relief of sanctions after years of a grueling sanctions regime,” he said. “They got that, they are paying nothing because they are not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability.”