Iranian leadership wants to resume nuclear talks with the West

‘The talks will be continued until they reach positive and constructive conclusions,’ says adviser to the country’s Supreme Leader

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran is willing to continue talks with world powers over its nuclear program until they reach a conclusion, a senior Iranian official said Friday in a report by semiofficial ISNA news agency.

The comments, from an adviser to the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, show that Iran’s top leadership is ready to restart negotiations despite their repeated failure in the past.

“The talks will be continued until they reach positive and constructive conclusions,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, adding that the West should recognize Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear activities.

On Thursday, the European Union said its top representatives on the matter would meet with their Iranian counterparts “soon,” with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to discuss the matter with chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Ashton’s deputy Helga Schmid met in Istanbul on Tuesday with Ali Bagheri, Iran’s deputy nuclear negotiator, to pave the way for another high-level meeting.

The U.S. and other world powers want Iran to curb uranium enrichment, which can produce nuclear warhead material, but Iran says its program is designed solely for peaceful purposes such as power generation and cancer treatment.

Recent high-level talks have failed to narrow those differences, and Iran faces intensified international sanctions over its program.