Ahmadinejad says nuclear talks to restart September regardless of conditions

Iran: Nuclear talks to restart despite conditions

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that talks with the major powers over Iran’s disputed nuclear program will start in early September regardless of the conditions he set earlier last month.

The interview, aired late Monday night by the state-owned English language Press TV, is the latest in a series of announcements by Iran of its willingness to talk about nuclear issues, most likely in an effort to deflect pressure and international sanctions.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to use its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Iran has denied the charge, saying its program is intended for peaceful purposes such as energy-generation.

In June, the Iranian leader set three conditions for resuming talks, stalled since 2009, saying countries who want to participate should make clear whether they oppose Israel’s purported atomic arsenal, whether they support the Nonproliferation Treaty and whether they want to be friends or enemies with Iran.

But in the interview Ahmadinejad backed down from his enforcing own conditions.

“Any response they give us would not matter. We prefer their response to be constructive, but if their response is not constructive, we would follow negotiations accordingly,” he said.

Ahmadinejad also added he wanted the presence of other countries outside the U.N. Security Council and Germany at the negotiations, a possible reference to Turkey and Brazil who came up with their own nuclear compromise with Iran earlier.

Despite his willingness to negotiate with the West, the Iranian president said his country would not stop pursuing its nuclear program.

“The Westerners know that they cannot force Iran to withdraw,” Ahmadinejad said.

The latest international pressure on Iran came Monday when the European Union and Canada separately adopted a new round of sanctions against the country, targeting the country’s foreign trade, banking and energy sectors.

The new European restrictions come on top of a fourth round of sanctions imposed last month by the U.N. Security Council to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.