Iran Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal And International Affairs Abbas Araqchi[/caption]An Iranian diplomat says any further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear energy program will put brakes on the recent deal struck between Tehran and the six world powers in Geneva.
On Wednesday, Abbas Araqchi stressed that the agreement will be stopped in the event of any more anti-Iran sanctions.
The remarks echo earlier comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that the Geneva accord will be dead if the US imposes further sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The entire deal is dead. We do not like to negotiate under duress. And if Congress adopts sanctions, it shows lack of seriousness and lack of a desire to achieve a resolution on the part of the United States, Zarif said in an exclusive interview with Time magazine in Tehran on Saturday, which was published on Monday.
Some hawkish members of the US Congress have been discussing the idea of imposing new sanctions on Iran over the country's nuclear energy program.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry defended diplomacy with Iran, telling skeptical members of Congress that an interim nuclear deal signed last month unequivocally served US interests.
Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Kerry warned lawmakers that the deal could unravel if they pass new sanctions against Tehran.
We're asking you to give our negotiators and our experts the time and space to negotiate, he said.
On November 24, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain -- plus Germany sealed an interim deal in Geneva to pave the way for the full resolution of the Wests decade-old dispute with Iran over the countrys nuclear energy program.
In exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the United States and its allies have agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
By Press TV
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