Zarif: Nuclear Deal Should Be Logically Balanced

(Tasnim) – Iran's chief negotiator said a possible deal with world powers on Tehran's nuclear energy program should be based on a reasonable balance, meaning that it would satisfy the demands of both sides.

"We have always said that whatever the stances in the negotiations, the results of the talks should be based upon a logical balance," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters upon arrival in Vienna on Tuesday.

"Iranian officials have all noted that we are ready for rational and logical negotiations and give and take," he added.

Zarif then made a reference to recent comments by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on a balanced nuclear deal, saying a possible agreement has to be based on what both sides accept.

In that case, the top Iranian diplomat went on to say, "reaching a solution will be possible” on the basis of what was agreed on in Lausanne.

On April 2, Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) reached a framework nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final, comprehensive accord until the end of June.

Asked about the major sticking points in the course of the nuclear talks, Zarif said, "When you are negotiating, a text… will not yield results unless its whole details are studied, and we have to go through this stage."

Ranking diplomats and negotiators are in Vienna to finalize technical language on the framework deal to secure the long-awaited accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).