No deadlock, but still no deal in Iran nuke negotiations

MAY 31, 2021 13:20

There is no deadlock, but still no deal, officials involved in the Iran nuclear negotiations said on Monday, as the fifth round of talks in Vienna enter their second week. The US, the Islamic Republic and the other world powers have been seeking to resolve the nuclear standoff since April.

Currently, the deadlines hovering over the talks are whether there will be a deal before Iranian presidential elections on June 18, or before a deal for access to nuclear sites between Tehran and IAEA inspectors expires on June 24.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a press conference on Monday, according to Iranian media, “We conduct the negotiations and discussions in Vienna with the necessary care and obsession. Each round of the talks could have been the last round, but because some issues remain, that round has been moved to the next round.”

“If the remaining key issues are resolved, it could be the last round, but if it is not, it will continue,” he added.

“The Vienna talks have made good and significant progress in all three working groups, but key issues remain. These issues must also be addressed carefully,” the spokesman highlighted.

However, the Iranian diplomat went on to say, “All US sanctions must be lifted and verification should be done. This verification will take place in the formulas discussed in Vienna, and then Iran will reverse its compensatory measures.”

This point: that Iran wants the Biden administration to lift sanctions first and only wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal’s limitations afterwards, has been the sticking point to concluding a deal since the fourth round of talks.

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Many analysts believe Iranian negotiators are purposely dragging out negotiations so that a new hardline president can complete the deal and take credit after June 18,

Still, “There is no deadlock in the Vienna talks, and the talks have reached key points, and key issues need to be decided, and this requires its own care, obsession and time,” said Khatibzadeh.

“We do not allow the talks to erode, nor do we rush,” he added, saying, “The United States must decide whether to continue Trump’s failed legacy or return to its commitments under the JCPOA and if that happens, Iran’s response is the full implementation of the JCPOA.”

“The JCPOA is what is written, neither more nor less,” Khatibzadeh stressed.

A regional diplomat, briefed by Western officials involved in the talks, said “an agreement that would clarify the obligations of Tehran and Washington to move forward” will be announced in Vienna this week.

But it was unclear where that official’s optimism came from for an imminent breakthrough as neither Iranian or American officials have voiced a similar message that a deal is close to being agreed.