Iran's foreign minister says he expects talks with the international community over his country's controversial nuclear program to continue.
Ali Akbar Salehi told the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that Iran considers nuclear weapons "a great sin," and he repeated assertions that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
The United States and a number of other countries have accused Iran of covertly trying to develop nuclear weapons, and the UN's nuclear watchdog alleged that Tehran has carried out nuclear work "specific to nuclear weapons."
Salehi said the majority of Middle East countries favor the creation of a nuclear-weapons-free zone" in the region and there is "only one obstacle," an apparent reference to Israel.
Salehi's comments come after a delegation of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency made two visits to Iran this month and returned reporting "major differences" between the two sides.
Talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, plus Germany -- stalled 13 months ago.
Ali Akbar Salehi told the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that Iran considers nuclear weapons "a great sin," and he repeated assertions that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
The United States and a number of other countries have accused Iran of covertly trying to develop nuclear weapons, and the UN's nuclear watchdog alleged that Tehran has carried out nuclear work "specific to nuclear weapons."
Salehi said the majority of Middle East countries favor the creation of a nuclear-weapons-free zone" in the region and there is "only one obstacle," an apparent reference to Israel.
Salehi's comments come after a delegation of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency made two visits to Iran this month and returned reporting "major differences" between the two sides.
Talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, plus Germany -- stalled 13 months ago.