Rouhani: If it weren't for the U.S., we would have reached an agreement with Europeans in 2004

The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, in response to a question about the role of Americans in Iran's nuclear file, stated: "Of course, these problems were created by the Americans, and if they had not been there, Iran would have definitely reached an agreement with the three European countries by the end of 2004." According to the IRNA news agency, Rouhani made these remarks at the end of his two-day trip to Qom. He added, "Although the foreign ministers of these three countries did not admit this at the time, today they say that the Americans prevented the agreement. Today, it is also the Americans who must try to correct the mistakes they have made." The Iranian president urged the U.S. to take the "necessary steps" to return from what he called the "wrong path" and added that in the nuclear negotiations, they want to "take the weapon of sanctions out of the enemy's hands." Iran and the 1+5 countries (the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany) are in the midst of extensive negotiations that reached a milestone last December with a temporary agreement in Geneva, which led to a reduction of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic and the release of part of Iran's frozen assets in other countries. According to the state news agency IRNA, the Iranian president further stated that "in the nuclear negotiations, we must take the excuse or, in the words of the Supreme Leader, take the weapon out of the enemy's hands." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, acknowledged on Wednesday, January 7, that international sanctions against Iran have "created problems for the country" and asked the officials of the Islamic Republic to take the "weapon of sanctions" out of the hands of what he called the "enemy." Rouhani emphasized: "Today, the enemy is wielding a sword in the dark that may hit someone, and today we are using negotiations to hold its wrist and press it to let go of this sword." The simultaneous lifting of all Western sanctions against Iran has been declared one of the Islamic Republic's demands in the nuclear negotiations with the 1+5 countries. In recent weeks, several officials of the Islamic Republic have also called for the removal of sanctions against Iran. For instance, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, a member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, called on Thursday for Western sanctions against Iran to be "lifted unconditionally." The Supreme Leader also predicted that international sanctions against Iran would remain even if a nuclear agreement is reached. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, also mentioned on Friday, March 8, that in his talks with the U.S. Energy Secretary, they reviewed technical issues that had faced a kind of deadlock. According to ISNA news agency, he added: "Fortunately, we achieved very good results and took significant steps, although there are still issues that need to be discussed." Salehi emphasized: "In technical negotiations, we must preserve our interests and also try to technically address the fabricated concerns of the other side." The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization also announced that the continuation of negotiations between the two sides will be held next Tuesday in Switzerland. Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, also announced on Thursday that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, will meet with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif next week in Montreux, Switzerland. The U.S. Secretary of State recently reiterated that the Obama administration's policy is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In this context, John Kerry will travel to Switzerland next week to meet with Zarif and Lavrov.