Tehran ‘Thwarted’ US Political Will During Nuclear Talks - Iranian General

The United States wanted to change Iran's political behavior, but Tehran's persistence in the talks urged Washington to settle the nuclear issue diplomatically, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The preliminary deal on the Iranian nuclear program reached in Lausanne last week has shown that Tehran's resistance to the United States' stance "thwarted" Washington's political will, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Major Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Tuesday.

"The Iranian nation's resistance to the U.S. thwarted Washington’s robust options for imposing its political will on the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

The military commander said that although the United States wanted to change Iran’s political behavior, Tehran's persistence in the talks urged Washington to settle the nuclear issue diplomatically.

Mohammad Ali Jafari, however, expressed doubts over Washington’s readiness to adhere to the agreements, adding that Tehran might face a "difficult path" in future negotiations over its nuclear program.

Last week, following years of unsuccessful talks on the Iranian nuclear program, Tehran and the P5+1 group, comprising Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, reached a framework agreement in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

Tehran agreed, among other things, to cut the number of centrifuges by more than two-thirds in 10 years, as well as to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for 15 years, in exchange for lifting economic sanctions earlier imposed against Iran by several Western countries and the UN Security Council.

The final, comprehensive deal on the Iranian nuclear program should be signed before the deadline set for July 1, 2015.