Iranian nuclear negotiators acting based on Leader's guidelines

Tehran, Feb 19, IRNA – Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said on Thursday that the Iranian nuclear negotiating team acts based on the guidelines set by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As the Leader has noted, Afkham said, in its nuclear negotiations with the six world powers, 'Iran will only accept an agreement which is reached in one stage and includes all outlines and details together.' 'Iran's negotiating team has so far moved in this direction and will continue its move this way,' stressed the spokeswoman. She made the remarks while commenting on some misinterpretations made about her statements on Wednesday about the nuclear talks. Speaking to reporters on her weekly press conference on Wednesday, Afkham said a political understanding that Iran and the six nation group are hoping to reach in March does not run counter to a comprehensive deal. She made the remarks while she was asked to comment on recent remarks made by Ayatollah Khamenei. The Leader had said that any deal has to be straightforward in a way that the enemies could not proceed with procrastination and misuse the prospective accord as bargaining chip to get more concessions from Iran. 'In November, we agreed to continue our negotiations until June. But we will actually only have a single agreement and a two-stage agreement is not on the agenda,' Afkham said on Wednesday. However, she reiterated that Tehran was seeking a deal that, as declared from the very beginning, does not run counter to reaching a political understanding. Some US media have used the term 'political agreement' instead of 'political understanding', Afkham said, adding that there will be only one accord and it is clear for everyone. Elaborating on the term 'political', the foreign ministry spokeswoman said that as the negotiators said, the two sides have talked enough about the technical dimensions of the case and a final accord needs a political resolve.