“There has been indisputable progress in the resumption of talks on the Iran nuclear agreement.” Russia’s permanent representative to the Vienna International Organization, Yuriyanov, said.
On May 1st, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Araghi, said the discussions were largely mature and that the consensus and differences had become clearer.
However, after many rounds of consultations, the process of resuming the Iran nuclear agreement remains bumpy.
On the negotiating floor, the U.S. and Iran remain silent, and the parties have not agreed on the core differences; Earlier, Iran’s Natanz nuclear power system failure, many Iranians suspect that the matter is led by Israel, the purpose is to undermine the Iran nuclear agreement-related talks, and then add “variables” to the Iran nuclear talks.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister says he has achieved results in lifting sanctions against Iran
Since May 2018, when the U.S. government unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and Iran gradually suspended some of the terms of the Iran nuclear deal, the parties involved in the Iran nuclear deal have been “bad” and have made many efforts to push the U.S. and Iran to re-implement the Iran nuclear deal, which has not been effective until recently.
The parties to the Iran nuclear deal decided to hold talks in Vienna in early April in an attempt to broker a deal between the United States and Iran to revive the Iran nuclear deal that former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018.
“This is the first time that the U.S. and Iran have made substantial progress on their way back to the Iran nuclear agreement.” The Associated Press wrote an assessment.
The focus of the Talks In Vienna Was On How To Reach A Consensus On How The United States Would Lift HundredS Of SanctionS On Iran’S EconomY.
Iran’s attitude towards lifting sanctions is clear. Iran’s only demand at the Vienna talks is that the United States must lift all sanctions imposed on Iran by the Trump administration, not just under the terms of the Iran nuclear deal.
Judging from the results of recent consultations, the Vienna talks have achieved a lot in lifting sanctions against Iran.
On May 1st, local time, Araghi told reporters on the sidelines of talks in Vienna that the parties involved in the Iran nuclear deal had reached a consensus on lifting some sanctions, including between Iran’s energy, automotive, financial, insurance and port. In addition, negotiations are under place to lift sanctions on individuals and institutions, without providing further details.
Some of the content has even entered the drafting stage of the document, and Mr Araghi said representatives were consulting on the text details of the document. “Our discussions have matured, and both consensus and differences have become very clear, and while it is not yet possible to predict when and how an agreement will be reached, the negotiations are moving slowly forward.”
The parties involved in the agreement expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of the talks
In the face of the outcome of the Vienna talks, a number of representatives of the Iran nuclear agreement are “cautiously optimistic” about this.
After the latest round of talks, Ulyanov tweeted that the Vienna talks had made “indisputable” progress on the resumption of the Iran nuclear deal and that consultations would continue next week. At the same time, experts will begin drafting the contents of future agreements.
Just as the talks were expected to be successful, Ulyanov followed up with a tweet that filled the eyes of the visitors.
“It’s too early to get excited, but there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic,” Ulyanov said. Although there is no deadline for the talks, all parties hope to complete the talks successfully within three weeks.
Reuters analysis said the special mention of the “three-week” time, the parties may want to reach an agreement before Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s interim nuclear monitoring agreement expires.
Despite the progress of the talks, the Iran nuclear deal is not what the parties want back, the U.S.-Iranian standoff is still evident.
The U.S. and Iran are still not talking to each other, and the format of negotiations led by other parties remains unchanged. The U.S. side has also been lukewarm about the progress made in the Vienna talks. The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on the reports, neither confirming nor denying them, saying only that the U.S. assessment of the talks remained unchanged — “while progress has been made, an agreement is far from being reached.” ”
While affirming progress, Iran has not forgotten two “tough words” and has always threatened to withdraw from the talks. Mr Araghi said Iran would not accept expendable lengthy negotiations and would withdraw from the talks if relevant parties to the deal wasted time, did not take them seriously or began to add other demands.
Against this background, the other three representatives of Western European countries involved in the talks appeared more restrained. They told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that time is running out, but there is still a lot of work to be done. They had expected more progress in the talks, but the parties to the Iran nuclear deal have yet to reach a consensus on the most critical issues. “The Vienna talks are not necessarily going to be successful, but they are not impossible.” From the statement, you can also see the tangled mentality of the delegates.
Challenges outside the Vienna talks remain
The parties involved in the Iran nuclear deal are busy brokering the deal, and Israel seems to be busy “dragging its feet.”
Israel has long opposed the return of the United States to the Iran nuclear deal because it only limits Iran’s nuclear power, not completely eliminates Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken a very hard line on Iran’s nuclear program, repeatedly calling on the United States not to return to the Iran nuclear agreement.
“There should be no return to the previous nuclear agreement,” Netanyahu said at an annual event to mark former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. We must stick to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. ”
With “constructive” progress in the Vienna talks, Israel seems to be sitting still.
Recently, a high-level Israeli delegation visited the United States specifically to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue and the return of the United States to the Iran nuclear agreement. It was also the first face-to-face meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials since Biden became president, according to the Times of Israel.
On April 27, U.S. and Israeli officials discussed serious concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, and the U.S. updated Israel on the progress of the Vienna talks, stressing the U.S. desire to consult closely with Israel on the Iranian nuclear issue. The White House says the U.S. and Israel will also set up a working group to focus on the threat of Iranian-made drones and precision-guided missiles.
In fact, the meeting may not stop there.
On April 30, local time, Biden also met with Josie Cohen, the head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, and discussed Iran, according to U.S. media outlet Axios. However, a spokesman for the National Security Council later said it was an “accident” when Mr. Cohn and Mr. Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, met to discuss “regional security issues” and that Mr. Biden was only “passing by.”
This is not the first time Israel has been embroiled in the iran nuclear deal debate since the Vienna talks began.
On April 11, local time, the power system at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility failed. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization President Ali Abdullah Salehi described it as an act of “nuclear terrorism.” According to the Associated Press, many Iranians suspect that Israel was among about the incident.
Iran’s foreign minister, Zarif, said Israel was responsible for the incident and vowed to “revenge” it, Al Jazeera reported.
Israel has not officially admitted responsibility for the attack. Mr Netanyahu only stressed that Iran was the “most serious threat” to the Middle East and that he would never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, but he did not comment on Iran’s accusations that Israel had attacked the Natanz nuclear facility.
In response to calls from Iranians and domestic forces to withdraw from the Vienna talks over the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Zarif said the ongoing Talks in Vienna would not end or fall into an Israeli-designed “trap”. He added that such cowardice would not weaken Iran’s influence in the negotiations, but would strengthen its position in the negotiations.
