Iran won't sacrifice rights for sake of nuclear issue solution: Rouhani

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani reportedly said that though the country wants to end the stand-off with global powers over its nuclear programmes, but it will not sacrifice its rights or interests for the sake of finding a solution.

During the regional security summit in Kyrgyzstan, Rouhani in a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, said that Iran wants the swiftest solution to the nuclear issue within international norms.

According to News24, Iran has been in on-off talks for years with six global powers, namely the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, seeking to ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons capability but a solution has been elusive.

Rouhani has earlier said that Iran will be more transparent and less confrontational in talks with the six powers but he made clear during the summit that the country would not give up its right to enrich uranium.

He said that only if there is political will, if there is mutual respect and mutual interest, and only if the rights of Iran's people are ensured, can they guarantee the peaceful character of Iran's nuclear programme.

Western diplomats have argued that Iran's continued expansion of it uranium enrichment capacity in recent months, would potentially shorten the time it would need to produce sufficient highly-refined material for a bomb, the report added.