Iran's President Rouhani: Sanctions Will be Lifted

After missing Monday's deadline and getting a seven-month negotiations' extension, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has said that a nuclear deal with western powers will be reached.

Despite failing to conclude the talks, Rouhani encouraged Iranians to keep their hopes high and pledged to resolve ongoing issues, like western sanctions and Iran's ability to continue enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.

"There is no doubt that sanctions will be lifted. The question is timing. We consider the sanctions to be tyrannical and have to lift them step by step. We will never give up our rights. During all this time centrifuges were spinning. I promise the Iranian nation that those centrifuges will never stop working," Rouhani reassured Iranians, reported France 24.

Speaking on state television, Rouhani said: "This path of negotiation will reach a final agreement. Most of the gaps have been removed."

Rouhani has reaffirmed that Iran would not give up its nuclear programme and is still advancing ahead despite attempts by world powers to impede its progress.

Talks are set to resume next month and Iran will join the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with Germany, to outline a draft deal by March 1 and a final agreement by July 1.

The deal will develop out of an earlier agreement that will see Iran reducing its nuclear activities in exchange for a reduction in western sanctions that have damaged Iran's economy.

Though Iran has insisted that its drive for nuclear power is driven by its need to diversify its energy sources, western powers claim it's seeking nuclear weapons.