President Rouhani: World powers admit failure in stopping Iran’s nuclear progress

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed indigenization and rapid progress in the country’s nuclear program, and said even the world powers themselves have acknowledged their failure in preventing Iran’s nuclear progress. “Iran’s policy of constructive interaction with the world states has forced the world to see the realities of Iran’s capabilities,” Rouhani said during a meeting with Bushehr's MPs on Monday. “You see that those powers which were thinking of destroying Iran’s enrichment capability, have now admitted that they cannot stop Iran's industrial progress and enrichment due to the indigenization of this industry and its expansion,” he added. In relevant remarks late November, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani underlined Tehran’s right of using peaceful nuclear technology, and said the country is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and doesn’t need the western states’ permission to enrich uranium. “We don’t need their (the westerners’) permission for enriching uranium because Iran has accepted the NPT’s rules and enjoys the rights (stated) in it,” Larijani said in an open session of the parliament which hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to brief the lawmakers on the Geneva agreement between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany). He referred to the Geneva deal upon which Iran and the G5+1 are due to make certain concessions to settle the long-time standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program, and said, “The framework and the structure of Iran's nuclear technology should be fully protected.” On November 24, Iran and the G5+1 reached a final deal after days of hard work and intensive negotiations. After endorsing the agreement with the world powers, Zarif underlined that the six world powers have recognized Iran’s enrichment program. Speaking at a press conference in Geneva at the time, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to the agreement reached between Iran and the G5+1, and said, “Today’s agreement deals with several sectors, the most important of which is that Iran’s enrichment program has been recognized, and this program will continue.”