Iran’s coordinator for nuclear talks Ali Bagheri-AFP/Archive
The European Union announced, Tuesday (16), that it is “considering” Iran’s response to the final text drafted by the bloc to try to save the 2015 agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program, which appears to be heading to the final stage. An arduous period of negotiations.
He reiterated that the negotiations between Iran and the great powers, which began in April 2021 in Vienna, seek to resume the 2015 international agreement, which guarantees the civilian nature of Iran’s nuclear program, a country accused of seeking to develop atomic weapons despite its denials.
The “final” compromise proposed by the European Union on August 8, after a months-long hiatus in talks, makes it possible for the United States to return to the agreement, from which the country unilaterally withdrew in 2018 at the initiative of the then-president. Donald Trump.
It will also allow the lifting of US sanctions on Iran, provided that Iran adheres to its commitments and stops exceeding the established limits for uranium enrichment, as well as other sensitive nuclear activities that raise fears of the military nature of the program.
We received the reply from Iran on Monday night. We are studying and consulting with other allies to agree on how to move forward, spokeswoman Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy and mediator in the recent indirect Vienna negotiations between Tehran and Washington, told AFP.
Hours before the Brussels announcement, Tehran informed that it had sent its response to the “final text” prepared by the European Union, and that it was waiting for a quick solution.
“Iran sent its written response to the draft Vienna Agreement and announced that an agreement would be reached if the United States responded in a realistic and flexible manner,” the official IRNA news agency said.
The 2015 Vienna Agreement was signed by Iran, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany and Russia. The historic agreement was undermined by Washington’s departure in 2018 and the return of US sanctions that choked Iran’s economy. In response, Iran gradually stopped fulfilling its obligations.
– Iran awaits response in two days –
According to the Iranian news agency “ISNA”, quoting an “informed source”, Tehran expects to receive a response from the other party within two days.
“The differences relate to three points on which the United States verbally expressed its flexibility in two cases, but this should be included in the text,” the IRNA news agency said, without revealing details.
“The third issue is to ensure that the agreement is permanent, and this depends on the realism of the United States when it comes to giving Iran peace of mind,” the agency added.
Neither side made clear what the outstanding points were. An EU source said that Iran’s demand that the United States remove the Revolutionary Guards from its sanctions list is no longer on the agenda.
But after the 2018 precedent with Trump, Tehran’s demands for guarantees about the continuity of the agreement are still on the table, as is the Iranian demand that the International Atomic Energy Agency close the chapter on undeclared facilities in Iran, where there are traces. of enriched uranium.
According to Mohammad Marandi, an advisor to the Iranian negotiating team, “the outstanding issues are not difficult to resolve. They are related to Iran’s fear of US and EU violations in the past.”
“I can’t say we will come to an agreement, but we are getting closer than before,” he wrote on Twitter.
On Monday, the US State Department declined to say whether Washington was ready to agree to the EU-proposed plan, saying only that it would “call Mr. Borrell”.
The US State Department said: “The only way to get mutual feedback on the JCPOA” (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) “is for Iran to abandon its unacceptable demands, which go far beyond the agreement.”
A Foreign Ministry spokesman also refused to say whether Washington would lift sanctions if Tehran accepted the EU text.
“Friendly zombie guru. Avid pop culture scholar. Freelance travel geek. Wannabe troublemaker. Coffee specialist.”
