(VOVworld) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Tehran would not step back from its nuclear development. His announcement came prior to Iran’s new round of talks with the P5+1 group (including the US, the UK, Russia, France, and China, plus Germany) in Geneva, Switzerland, about its controversial nuclear program.
In his televised speech, Khamenei said that though he is not directly involved in the talks, he had set "red lines" for his envoys in Geneva. But he added that Iran wants to have friendly relations with all nations.
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| Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears in a television live programme in Tehran on the occasion of the Iranian New Year March 21, 2011. (Photo: Reuters) |
Before the talks, both the US and Iran voiced their hope for progress in Tehran’s nuclear program. US Secretary of State John Kerry called for Iran’s good will to clinch a deal which can prove that its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes.