Iran ready to resume talks with G5+1

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that Iran is ready to resume talks with the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, Britain, China, France and Germany) in a bid to reach a solution to the nuclear standoff between the two sides. “Mrs. Ashton contacted me and expressed her desire to resume talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 and in response I reiterated that the Islamic Republic is willing to resume talks,” Zarif said on Monday. “In the phone conversation, I told Mrs. Ashton that we favor a solution instead of merely engaging in talks,” Zarif added. Catherine Ashton, who is the European Union foreign policy chief, is representing the Group 5+1 talks with Iran. Iran and the Group 5+1 group have held several rounds of talks on a range of issues, with the main focus being on Iran’s nuclear energy program. The two sides wrapped up their latest round of negotiations on April 6 in the Kazakh city of Almaty. An earlier meeting had been held in the city on February 26-27. The US, Israel and some of their allies claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Washington and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose sanctions on Iran. Tehran strongly rejects the groundless claim over its nuclear activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.