Former British foreign secretary "optimistic" about Iran nuclear deal

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Tuesday that he is "optimistic" about the implementation of an interim nuclear deal signed between Iran and six major world powers last November, Press TV reported.

In a meeting with the head of Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group, Abbas-Ali Mansouri-Arani, in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday, Straw said Iran has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Iran and the P5+1 group -- including Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany, struck the nuclear agreement in Geneva on Nov. 24, 2013, under which Iran agreed to freeze part of its controversial nuclear program in return for the lift of some international and western sanctions.

Straw said despite the ups and downs in Iran-Britain ties, both sides seek the improvement of relations in line with mutual interests, according to the report.

The Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group has always called for the expansion of bilateral relations and opposed extremist views regarding Iran's ties with the West, Straw was quoted as saying.

Mansouri-Arani, for his part, said "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always carried out its nuclear activities based on the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) regulations and, like other signatories to the treaty, Tehran calls for its absolute and legal rights," the Iranian lawmaker added.

Last week, Iran and the P5+1 group held the third round of expert-level meeting in Geneva to prepare the grounds for implementation of the nuclear deal, however, the Iranian side announced that although most part of the agreement is prepared for the implementation, a few issues still remain for further discussions.

Straw, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday at the head of a four- member parliamentary delegation, is scheduled to meet Iran's foreign minister and some influential Iranian lawmakers.