Feb 11 (Reuters) – Hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday Tehran “never” pins hope on ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the country’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.
Iran and the United States resumed indirect talks in the Austrian capital on Tuesday after a 10-day break, but envoys gave little away as to whether they were closer to resolving various thorny issues.
“We put our hopes on the east, west, north, south of our country and never have any hope in Vienna and New York,” Raisi said in a televised speech commemorating the 43rd anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He said Iran would rely on its domestic economic potential rather than expect support from overseas and from the nuclear talks with world powers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday there was still a long way to go before the deal could be revived.
Raisi said: “Our foreign policy is balanced. Looking toward the West has made the country’s relations unbalanced, we need to look at all countries and capacities in the world, especially our neighbors.”
