“The number of centrifuges is not the only issue in the nuclear talks, but there are also topics related to the balance of power in the region,” de Villepin said on Tuesday while addressing an international conference on ‘World Against Violence and Extremism’ (WAVE) here in Tehran.
He also underlined the need for lifting the sanctions imposed on Iran.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) wrapped up seven days of intensive nuclear talks in Vienna on November 24 without securing a long-awaited comprehensive deal.
They decided to extend talks on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program for seven more months.
On November 24, 2013, Iran and the G5+1 (alternatively known as the P5+1 or E3+3) signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Based on the Geneva deal (the Joint Plan of Action), which came into effect in January, the six nations agreed to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a limited period.
The agreement expired in July, when the parties decided to extend negotiations until November 24 in the hope of clinching a final deal that would end a decade of impasse over Tehran’s civilian nuclear energy program.
Elsewhere in his remarks, de Villepin referred to the crises in the Middle East and urged for cooperation and interaction among Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to resolve the region’s problems.
The two-day WAVE conference opened in Tehran on Tuesday with the participation of senior political officials, intellectuals and delegates from some Asian, African and South American countries such as Iraq, Syria and Nicaragua.