Press TV- Foreign Minister Mohammad�Javad Zarif�hails the Iranian nation�s support for the diplomatic efforts that led to the conclusion of the 2015 nuclear deal, saying it was the people�s will that brought six world powers to the negotiating table with Tehran and helped the landmark accord come to fruition.


Zarid made the remarks at a gathering of Iranians in the German capital, Berlin, on Monday, referring to the nuclear accord, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Tehran and the P5+1 states � the US, Russia, China, France, Britain plus Germany.

The Iranian nuclear negotiators, Zarif added, only reflected the nation�s will during the discussions with the six other states in the lead-up to the nuclear accord, stressing that the Islamic Republic should be proud of its people.

�They (world powers) did not want Iran to be in possession of even a single centrifuge,� he added, making a reference to former US president Barack Obama�s remarks in 2013, when he wished he could have prevented the Islamic Republic�s entire�nuclear program.

�If I had an option, if we could create an option in which Iran eliminated every single nut and bolt of their nuclear program, and foreswore the possibility of ever having a nuclear program, and, for that matter, got rid of all its military capabilities, I would take it,� he said, then added, �But that particular option is not available,� Obama said.

The JCPOA was inked in July 2015 and took effect in January 2016.

Under the deal, which�was later endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution, limits were put on Iran�s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.

Elsewhere in his comments, the top Iranian diplomat praised the nation�s history of resistance in the face of sanctions and enemy pressure, saying the Iranian people stood firm during the former Iraqi regime�s eight-year war in the 1980s and greatly contributed to the post-war reconstruction.

At a time when a dreadful wave of violence is wreaking havoc on nations in the region, Iran owes its calm to its people, he added.

Zarif also stressed that the Iranian nation believes �security and progress could only be attained in a secure and developed region,� adding, �Those who try to reach security by eliminating that of others have gained nothing but�insecurity and humiliation.�