Raisi says Iran ready for talks but not with Western "pressure"
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday Iran was ready to hold talks with world powers to revive its 2015 nuclear accord but not under Western "pressure", adding Tehran was seeking negotiations leading to a lifting of U.S. sanctions.
"The Westerners and the Americans are after talks together with pressure ... What kind of talks is that? I have already announced that we will have talks on our government's agenda but not with ... pressure," Raisi told state television.
"Talks are on the agenda ... We are seeking goal-oriented negotiations ... so unjust sanctions on the Iranian people are lifted ... and their lives can flourish," he added.
France and Germany have urged Iran to return to negotiations after a break in talks following Iranian elections in June, with Paris demanding an immediate restart amid Western concerns over Tehran's expanding atomic work.
"Based on assessments, domestic vaccine production could not meet the society's need to corona vaccine; so, in order to be precise, of course, we need 100 million doses, so far 40 million doses have been imported and efforts have been made to import 100 million doses from abroad," he stipulated.
As to his administration's promises to build one million houses per annum, the executive chief noted that house building industry is very advanced in Iran; thus, professional predictions show that the number is really possible to come true.
Pointing to fight against corruption as one of his main pledges during the 2021 presidential campaign, Raisi noted that the cabinet plans to articulate a charter to prioritize the fight against corruption.
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