Regarding the claims made by US Secretary of State, Iran stated that as a committed member of NPT, it has consistently declared that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of IAEA (Express/File photo)In response to visiting United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks that Iran can never have nuclear weapons, and they need to turn over their highly enriched uranium, the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday said that they consider ‘the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to be the legitimate and inalienable right of its people’’.The embassy stated that Iran will never relinquish this lawful and internationally recognised right.Regarding the US-Iran negotiations, on the sidelines of an official reception in New Delhi on Saturday evening, Rubio said, “There’s been some progress made…Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done…This issue needs to be solved, as the President (Donald Trump) said one way or the other. Iran can never have nuclear weapons. The straits need to be opened without tolls. They need to turn over the highly enriched uranium.”Issuing a statement on Sunday morning in response to Rubio’s remarks, the Iranian Embassy said it rejects the recent remarks. “With regard to the claims made by the US Secretary of State concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran once again recalls that, as a committed member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), it has consistently declared that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”The IAEA itself has thus far neither observed nor reported any diversion in Iran’s nuclear activities, it added.“Iran considers the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to be the legitimate and inalienable right of its people and emphasises that it will never relinquish this lawful and internationally recognised right,” the statement added.The embassy statement also weighed in on the Strait of Hormuz crisis and oil sanctions. “As one of the world’s major exporters of oil and energy, Iran has always been prepared to make its energy resources available to all countries, including India. What has held the global energy market hostage over recent years has been the unlawful and unjust sanctions imposed by the US on Iran’s oil exports; sanctions that have been designed and enforced in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, with the aim of exerting economic pressure on the Iranian nation.”Story continues below this adThe embassy stated that oil sanctions represent only a small part of the broader pattern of hostile measures and pressures that US has imposed on the Iranian people over the past 47 years.US, Israel ‘principal drivers’ of energy crises“Iran further underlines that what is currently disrupting and threatening maritime security and the passage of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are the military, provocative, and adventurist actions of the US and the Zionist regime in the region,” it said, calling the US and Israel ‘principal drivers’ behind the escalation of global security and energy crises.Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on social media on Saturday that “an agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation” between the US, Iran, and regional powers, adding that the details of the deal, which includes reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, will be announced shortly.Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd