TEHRAN, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian security official said on Tuesday that Tehran is open to negotiations with the West if it is presented with a "reasonable and fair" nuclear proposal that safeguards its interests, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Speaking at a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani criticized certain Western states for what he called a track record of reneging on their promises. "They chant the slogan of (favoring) negotiation, but pursue other objectives in practice," he said.
Larijani added Iranians were serious about protecting their interests and national security and would resist what he described as the West's excessive demands.
He added that the United States had demanded Iran reduce the range of its missiles to under 500 kilometers, insisting that no Iranian would accept that.
Also on Tuesday, in a joint meeting on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Iran's delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, met with the foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. During the meeting, they reviewed the talks held over the past weeks to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue.
It was decided at the meeting that consultations among the involved parties should continue in view of the European countries' move to reinstate international sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.
Last month, France, Britain and Germany triggered the "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran as part of their pressure on Tehran to resume nuclear negotiations. The UN Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a resolution that would extend sanctions relief for Iran. The sanctions are expected to take effect later this month if no new actions were taken in the Security Council.
The SNSC announced on Saturday that Iran's cooperation with the IAEA would be "effectively" suspended after the UN Security Council voted against extending the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran. ■
