Raisi: Israel failed to sabotage Iran's nuclear program

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gives a speech in Tehran, Iran on July 19, 2022 [ Ali Balıkçı - Anadolu Agency ]

Israel's attempts to stop Iran's nuclear programme by sabotage, assassinations and threats will not succeed, President Ebrahim Raisi said in a press conference yesterday.

The President added that "peaceful nuclear capabilities" are a fundamental right of Iranians, adding that "nobody" can stop Iran acquiring them.

This comes as Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said the outstanding issues in the nuclear negotiations "are not many", but they are "sensitive, important and decisive".

He explained that there is no specific date set for Iran to respond to the American comments on the "final" proposal put forward by the European Union to revive the nuclear agreement.

"As soon as Tehran finishes studying the details and reaches a conclusion, it will send its response," he added. 

In an interview with the official Iranian news agency IRNA, Kanaani described the course of the nuclear negotiations as "positive and moving forward", noting that "issues related to the nuclear agreement have been resolved between the Iranian and American sides."

He stressed that Tehran is "serious" about the negotiations, "but we have to see if the US administration also has the necessary political will" and whether it will continue to wait for Israel's positions and put Tel Aviv's priorities as a basis for its political decision or the American national interest.