Iran denies behind curtains' talks with US

Iran on Tuesday denied reports that it had held clandestine discussions with the United States affirming that all the recent negotiations involving the two sides dealt with the nuclear issue. There are no secret talks going on between Iran and the US, except for nuclear negotiations, spokeswoman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Marzieh Afkham said at a weekly news briefing in Tehran. Responding to reports that US officials, recently, talked about behind the curtain talks between the two sides, the spokeswoman said US officials "have made unbalanced statements but most significant content of their remarks is the acknowledgement that the curbs imposed on Iran are futile." Iranian leadership is keen on attaining legitimate rights of the Iranian people in the negotiations on the nuclear issues with the western powers, she added. The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran is developing nuclear weapons, but Tehran says it is using nuclear energy for peaceful programs. On November 24, Iran and the P5+1 reached a deal in Geneva after days of intensive negotiations. Tehran agreed to curb some nuclear activities for six months in return for sanctions' relief. Meanwhile, the official spokeswoman described as "fruitful" the recent regional tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. In response to a question whether the foreign minister would visit Saudi Arabia, she said the Kingdom is one of the regional influential nations. Cooperation and exchanges of views between Riyadh and Tehran can be helpful in resolving a lot of regional issues, she added.