Iran After Lasting, Not Temporary Deal in Vienna: Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry made it clear that Tehran seeks only a lasting and dependable agreement in the Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, stressing that a temporary deal will get nowhere.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh talked about the progress achieved in the Vienna negotiations on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“We are after a lasting and reliable agreement. No deal without these two features would be on our agenda. All of us must make sure that the US’ return (to the JCPOA) should happen with verifications and receiving assurances, as a cycle of removal of sanctions (against Iran) must also take place. These would not be achieved under any temporary deal,” he said.
Pointing to the diplomatic efforts to reach sustainable results in the Vienna talks, the spokesman said progress has been made regarding all four subjects in the negotiations, namely the removal of sanctions, verification, receiving assurances, and the nuclear issues.
Iran has not proposed anything beyond the JCPOA in Vienna and will not agree about any such proposal being mooted in the talks either, the spokesman underlined.
“What is now happening in Vienna is the efforts by all parties to reach a sustainable result… We have reached the points that will show us whether the other side has the necessary resolve or not,” Khatibzadeh added.
He went on to say that the pace of negotiations also matters to Iran. “It is not acceptable that the other side would move at turtle speed and we move at light speed.”
The eighth round of the Vienna talks began on December 27 with a focus on the removal of all sanctions that the United States imposed on Iran following its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA three years after its conclusion.
On Sunday, Iran's lead negotiator to the Vienna talks Ali Baqeri and Enrique Mora, the European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief and head of the JCPOA Joint Commission, as well as representatives of the E3 held a meeting.
The bilateral and multilateral expert-level talks are also continuing. The new representatives of Britain and Germany have reportedly taken part in the Sunday talks.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday after meetings with representatives of the P4+1 group of countries, the Iranian chief negotiator said the sides are resolving the outstanding issues and narrowing down the differences.
He added that the sanctions-removal talks are moving forward.
Later in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said reaching a good agreement is possible in the ongoing talks in Vienna if the Western side possesses the required goodwill.
During the previous round of the talks, the first under Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran presented new proposals at the negotiating table to help the talks move forward and later criticized the European signatories of the JCPOA for failing to follow suit and remaining passive.