Tehran Politician Says Key To A Nuclear Deal Is US Guarantees

While Russia’s ambassador Mikahil Ulyanov expressed optimism, the US envoy Rob Malley was quoted as voicing disappointment, and Tehran urging Washington to be flexible. 

Indirect talks between Iran and the United States to save the 2015 pact resumed in Vienna on Thursday after 16 months of negotiations without reaching a deal.

During a Sunday phone call with UN Secretary General António Guterres, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's fatwa (religious decree) on prohibition of using nuclear weapons makes it clear to everyone that nuclear arms have no place in Iran's doctrine and are against its policy and beliefs.

Other Iranian officials, however, have said that Khamenei may be requested to change his fatwa and strategy on the prohibition of producing nuclear weapons. "We will ask Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to change his fatwa and strategy on the prohibition of producing nuclear weapons if the enemies of the Islamic Republic continue their threats," Iranian lawmaker Mohammad-Reza Sabbaghian Bafghi said on August 2.

Amir-Abdollahian also called on the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA to technically resolve the remaining issues regarding Iran's nuclear activities before 2003, and "distance itself from non-constructive political issues".

IAEA has discovered unexplained traces of uranium at three sites in Iran used for secret research and development prior to the discovery of the country’s nuclear program. The watchdog says that so far Tehran has not convincingly explained why there was uranium in these sites.

Amir-Abdollahian went on to repeat Iran’s public posture that the success of indirect talks between Tehran and the United States depended on flexibility from the American side. “We are serious about clenching a strong and durable agreement and the negotiations are now going on in Vienna with seriousness. Of course, the outcome of this issue depends on whether the United States wants an agreement to be reached [and] whether the US shows necessary resilience and realism in practice.”

Washington and its European allies say that they have made a reasonable offer and the onus is on Tehran to make a decision.

Also on Sunday, Russia’s chief negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov expressed hope about agreement in the Vienna talks, saying that there has been “progress” on resolving safeguards-related issues but “it has not been fully settled.”

“They are sensitive, especially for Iranians and Americans. I cannot guarantee, but the impression is that we are moving in the right direction, and the number of unresolved issues is minimal. Just three or four and some of them are almost settled… We’re talking about days, not weeks… I will not be surprised if we finish our exercise successfully very soon,” he told reporters outside Vienna’s Palais Coburg. 

“We stand 5 minutes or 5 seconds from the finish line,” Ulyanov said, repeating the exact wording that he had used in February. 

Enrique Mora, the European Union’s top negotiator, also said he is “absolutely” optimistic about the talks’ progress so far. “We are advancing, and I expect we will close the negotiations soon,” he added.

According to Iran International’s correspondent Ahmad Samadi at the venue of the talks in Vienna, US Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, has reportedly told one of the participating diplomats at the talks that he is not hopeful about this round of the negotiations. Malley, however, has not made any comments to reporters during the ongoing round. 

"Unlike what certain Western media reported, none of the previous outstanding issues of Vienna Talks has been removed from Iran delegation's agenda, and the ideas presented by Iranian officials have been raised in the talks," said Nour News, a website affiliated with the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Shamkhani. 

An adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team said on Saturday, August 6, that some progress was made in Vienna, but issues remain and chances for an agreement is 50-50. Mohammad Marandi told the Arabic Al Mayadeen television, “I don’t know if we will reach an agreement, but the chance is 50 percent.” He stressed that the remaining issues are between Iran and the United States and “there are no differences with Europe or Russia.”

Truss, who is a candidate to becomes the next UK prime minister at next month’s Conservative Party leadership election, made the remarks in a letter to Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group, adding that “I have been clear that progress on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not moving fast enough and I assure you that if the JCPOA collapses, all options are on the table.”

Truss also Israel’s launch of Operation Breaking Dawn on targets of Iran-backed Islamic Jihad militant outfit in Gaza, with the Foreign Office saying, "The UK stands by Israel and its right to defend itself. We condemn terrorist groups firing at civilians and violence which has resulted in casualties on both sides. We call for a swift end to the violence."

The other Conservative candidate, Rishi Sunak, wrote in his letter to the pro-Israel group that he would seek “a new, strengthened nuclear deal that extends the sunset clauses, lengthens the breakout period and curtails Iran’s ballistic missile program. The credible threat of snapback sanctions, which has so far been missing from the negotiations, is the only way we can force Iran to seriously engage with these proposals.”

He added, “Iran’s quest for regional hegemony and the threat it poses to Israel concerns me deeply. We cannot allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon and the UK and Israel must enhance our diplomatic, defense and intelligence cooperation to prevent this from happening.”

The twitter account of the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Austria published photos of Tehran’s lead negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani at the mourning ceremonies of the Islamic month of Muharram. The event was held at Vienna’s Islamic center of Imam Ali, a Shiite mosque. 

The highlight of the month-long ceremonies of Muharram are the Days of Tasu'a and Ashura, the anniversary of the slaying of Shiite Imam Hussein and his 72 companions by his rivals to the leadership of Muslims. Ceremonies have been held for centuries in Iran and among Shiites in other countries, marking the event in the 680 AD battle of Karbala, in present-day Iraq, and have gained greater state support since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

This round of the Vienna talks reportedly focus on a text circulated in late July by Josep Borrell, the European Union foreign policy chief, to bridge gaps between the United States and Iran over how the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- or JCPOA -- can be revived. It is unclear how specific are proposals in Borrell’s text and how far he outlines a process.

European officials have presented a tough face to reporters gathered outside the Palais Coburg hotel in Vienna, insisting that the current talks will not be “reopening” negotiations, and urging Tehran not to make “unrealistic demands.”

According to the Iranian government’s news website IRNA, Mohammad Marandi told the Arabic Al Mayadeen television, “I don’t know if we will reach an agreement, but the chance is 50 percent.” He stressed that the remaining issues are between Iran and the United States and “there are no differences with Europe or Russia.”

Earlier, the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said that experts were discussing nuclear ‘safeguards’ issues during negotiations in Vienna.

Alighting from a car outside the Palais Coburg hotel, Behrouz Kamalvandi, responding to a question from Iran International, said “the flow [in talks] is not bad.” The spokesman’s comments were carried on the official Iranian news agency IRNA, which also cited an unnamed Iranian diplomat saying Friday that negotiations were now in their “decisive hours.”

Kamalvandi’s remarks relate to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) enquiries into uranium traces found at sites not declared as nuclear-related. Iranian state media Saturday emphasized that Tehran demands the IAEA to drop the enquiries as part of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

The issue, which could derail the European-brokered talks in the Austrian capital aimed at restoring the JCPOA, shows intricate interplay between ‘political’ and ‘technical’ factors.

From a ‘technical’ viewpoint, IAEA head Rafael Mariano Grossi has expressed dissatisfaction with Iran’s explanations of potential military dimensions suggested by the uranium traces, which relate to sites used before 2003. Grossi has conducted enquiries as part of Iran’s ‘safeguards’ commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – which are separate from the JCPOA.

‘Wrecking ball’

But Iranian state media Saturday quoted Mohammad Jamshidi, deputy head of President Ebrahim Raisi’s office, saying Raisi had in telephone calls with the presidents of China, France, and Russia expressed a “firm position…that a final agreement [on reviving the JCPOA] could be reached only when safeguards claims were resolved and closed.”

This appeared to refer to the uranium traces Marandi Thursday called the IAEA probe a “wrecking ball” for the talks. Iran argues the IAEA in 2015 concluded its investigations of past nuclear work, and reopened the file – discovering the uranium traces – only in response to allegations made by Israel.

While France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States have argued that IAEA ‘technical’ work on safeguards is independent of the JCPOA, they successfully moved a resolution at the IAEA governing board in June censuring Iran over failing to satisfy the agency.

The Vienna talks reportedly focus on a text circulated in late July by Josep Borrell, the European Union foreign policy chief, to bridge gaps between the United States and Iran over how the JCPOA can be revived. It is unclear how specific are proposals in Borrell’s text and how far he outlines a process.

Tough face

European officials have presented a tough face to reporters gathered outside the Palais Coburg hotel in Vienna, insisting that the current talks will not be “reopening” negotiations, and urging Tehran not to make “unrealistic demands.”

Iran’s foreign ministry Saturday framed the talks as Iran responding positively to Borrell’s text. It quoted Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian telling Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, by telephone that “the US should show a pragmatic response to Iran’s constructive proposals [in response to Borrell].” It has been widely reported that Iran has suggested it could drop its demand that the US remove the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from its list of ‘foreign terrorist organizations,’ which was earlier seen as a likely deal-blocker.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s IAEA ambassador, tweeted Saturday evening that despite “a few remaining differences the negotiators have all the chances to fulfil their task successfully.”

Speaking to reporters at the venue of the talks at hotel Coburg in the Austrian capital Vienna, Mora told Iran International’s correspondent that he also read about the deadline in a Bloomberg report, saying someone had said the deal would be revived “in 72 hours or nothing.” “I read that in Bloomberg but I don’t know who said that.” 

He confirmed that the negotiations will “absolutely” continue after the rumored 72 hours, adding that the talks will go on after Monday but “the weekend can be useful.” 

Talks over Iran’s atomic program seem to continue beyond Friday as United States and Iranian negotiators tackle European proposals to bridge gaps.

Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani met Friday with Mora, the official acting as a go-between with a US team led by special envoy Rob Malley, and with Wang Kun, China’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as Iran has refused to meet the American face-to-face.

EU officials have argued that a text circulated by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in late July should be a basis for the US and Iran to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which the US left in 2018 prompting Iran after 2019 to expand its nuclear program beyond JCPOA limits.