Teheran vows to continue nuclear program despite pressure from Washington

TEHERAN－A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, or AEOI, said on Sunday that Teheran will advance its nuclear program with greater determination despite US pressures, according to Teheran Times daily.

"The Americans' attempt is to create psychological pressure, but in reality, they will not achieve any success," Behrouz Kamalvandi said, referring to the recent US sanctions on AEOI Chief Ali Akbar Salehi.

He described the sanctions on Salehi as "worthless" and "ineffective".

He also said Iran's nuclear program will not be influenced by other countries' measures and policies. "We will do whatever is in the country's interests," Kamalvandi was quoted as saying.

The United States Treasury Department announced on Thursday that Washington has imposed sanctions on the AEOI and its chief.

Meanwhile, top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell was on Monday expected to visit Iran on his first trip there since taking office, aiming to reduce rising tensions over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

Borrel was set to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani on the two-day trip, his office said in a statement.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Teheran and a group of world powers has been crumbling since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018, and Washington has since stepped up sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran.

Teheran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the deal, while military tensions with the US have brought the arch foes to the brink of full-blown confrontation in recent weeks.

Borrell's mission aims "to seek opportunities for political solutions to the current crisis", said the office of the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

The visit will allow Borrell "to convey the EU's strong commitment to preserve" the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and to discuss cooperation between the EU and Iran, his office said.

Washington accuses Teheran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which Iran has always denied.

The deal struck in Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council－the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China－plus Germany, offered Teheran a partial reprieve from crippling international sanctions.

In exchange, Iran agreed to drastically reduce its nuclear activities and to submit to a tailor-made inspection regime by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA.

The US withdrawal from the deal and its reimposition of biting sanctions deprived Iran of anticipated economic benefits.

The renewed US sanctions have isolated Iran from the international financial system, driven away oil buyers and plunged the country into a severe recession.

Xinhua - Agencies