"We must think and find out where the interests of the country are," President Rouhani said while addressing the gathering of people in Kerman, south of the country, during his provincial visit here.
Talking of the July 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and Iran's interests based on the deal, the president said the continuation of the international deal will lead to the lifting of Iran’s arms embargo next year.
"We will achieve a major political, security and defense goal," he added.
“If we stay in the JCPOA according to Resolution 2231, Iran’s arms embargo will be lifted next year and we can easily buy or export our required weapons, which is one of the major effects of the nuclear deal," the president said being quoted by the presidential website.
"We must think and find out where the interests of the country are. Is it in our best interest to be 100% committed to the deal while the other sides stay idle vis-à-vis it? Definitely not. So we chose a path in between.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has chosen a path in between to preserve the JCPOA but at the same time we will reduce what we have pledged in the agreement step by step.
“Today, our nuclear power [is] higher than any other time.
“During this period of effort, we did research and developed in the field of nuclear energy. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization announced that a few years back, we had five types of centrifuges, but today we have 15 types of centrifuges.
“This means that we have made progress and moved ahead.
"This is the path of moderation, which means that while protecting the agreement, we also uphold the rights of the nation and do not succumb to the enemies’ pressures."
Elsewhere in his remarks, the president spoke about the water conditions in central and southern provinces of Yazd and Kerman, saying “Next year, the first phase of transferring the Persian Gulf's water to Kerman and Yazd for industrial use will be done”.
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