Iran’s president says won’t return to past of isolation, sanctions even if nuclear talks fail

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says the international sanctions regime has crumbled and will not be rebuilt even if Iran and world powers fail to reach a final nuclear deal by a July 20 deadline.

Rouhani told a press conference today that’s it’s still possible to reach a comprehensive accord before the deadline and that his government will in any case remain committed to its policy of constructive interaction with the West. But he says even if the deadline is missed, “conditions will never go back to the past.”

Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany reached an interim deal in November in Geneva that limited Iran’s uranium enrichment program in exchange for the easing of some sanctions. The agreement was intended to buy time for the negotiation of a comprehensive deal to resolve the decade-long impasse.

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APPHOTO VAH101: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 14, 2014. Rouhani says the international sanctions regime has crumbled and will not be rebuilt even if Iran and world powers fail to reach a final nuclear deal by a July 20 deadline. Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany reached an interim deal in November that limited Iran’s uranium enrichment program in exchange for the easing of some sanctions. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) (14 Jun 2014)

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