Option for Both Sides: Walk Out

One of Iran’s senior negotiators at the nuclear talks Abbas Araghchi announced, “We shall continue the talks with strong determination and wherever we sense that the talks are not in the interest of the Iranian nation or the country and are not moving in the pre-defined direction we shall definitely walk away.”

Iran’s state run news agency quoted him to have said, “Talks must move in the direction of mutual interests within a win-win framework. If not, and one side strives to impose its will through non-diplomatic means, we too may not have any qualms about leaving the talks although we are not at that point now.”

From all the talks that have been held we can still not claim that we have made progress at the talks. There are still gaps and differences but all sides are pursuing the talks with seriousness and the necessary determination to get close to a resolution even though complete solutions have not yet been attained in key issues,” Araghchi clarified.

These remarks are in reality a response to the comments made by US Secretary of State who a few days ago had talked about the possibility of walking away from the talks.

The nuclear talks between Iran and the 6 major world powers have come to their hardest days. It is said that Americans desire a two phase resolution, Iranian negotiators, as desired by ayatollah Khamenei, do not agree with the two step approach. On the other hand while Iran’s key demand in the past months has been the complete lifting of all the sanctions, the US is not willing to accept that.

Kayhan newspaper which represents the hardline faction of ayatollah Khamenei’s office, wrote a few days ago, “According to the latest reports, the Western party in the talks has accepted the previously proposed 6,500 centrifuges instead of the 4,500 machines through a tactical gimmick on the condition that the enrichment capacity be reduced!” Kayhan continues, “In return, regarding the immediate and complete lifting of all the sanctions, it is said that the West which has been calling for a complete resolution for 15 years is in reality postponing the lifting of the sanctions for a future date.” The mouthpiece of Iran’s hardliners yesterday published are report that slyly ridiculed Hassan Rouhani as well. “The excitement about holding talks with the US and the optimism in clinching a deal with the village chieftain (a term that Rouhani had used in advocating direct talks with the US) has subsided after two years. Today, nobody can claim that clinching a deal with the chieftain is easy and that a deal can be reached within three to six months and demonstrate economic changes to people.” The writer continued, “The problem is clear. The US is the enemy of our nation and the number one enemy of all nations. It imagines – and some remarks are born out of this image – that the Iranian nation can be neutralized through sanctions. Why should an enemy as malicious as the US, Britain and others put such a tool aside?”

While since a few months ago, the fate of the talks revolved around the complete lifting of all the sanctions, today it appears that this demand is out of reach. Even ayatollah Khamenei has grasped the situation when just a few days ago he said, “I believe that even if we accept all the demands they are making in the nuclear issue, the sanctions will still not be lifted because they are against the essence of the revolution.”

Perhaps this was the reason why Mohammad Javad Zarif made an unusual remark when he said, “Agreement when sanctions remain is very difficult.” He had stressed, “Good discussions about sanctions and other issues of disagreement have been held. But of course no agreement has been reached on the issues and differences continue to exist the most important of which I think is psychological that some Western countries and particularly the US and some domestic factions there feel that believe that sanctions are an asset for them, while in reality the sanctions have brought nothing but losses to them.”

But Zarif’s remarks suggest that while “difficult” it was perhaps possible to come to an agreement despite the existence of sanctions. It is perhaps because of this that he said, “From the perspective of the officials of the country we have come to a point in the talks where a serious and higher level decision needs to be taken on the nuclear issue. Because of this Mr. Salehi has been asked to participate in the talks so that the issues can be examined more transparently, clearly and in detail.”

The Iranian Diplomacy website close to former foreign minister Sadegh Kharazi published a report by an Israeli website in which provides its view on the involvement of Salehi and President Rouhani’s brother Hossein Fereidun in the talks. According to this report, Iran continues to reject a two-step resolution while the lifting of sanctions too continue to be debated. It continues, “Under the current circumstances it appears that Obama’s administration cannot give any further concessions to Tehran. Iranian negotiators too have taken a hardline on the issues of the number of centrifuges and the determination of a ceiling on uranium reserves. Tehran wants a complete and immediate lifting of all the sanctions.”

The Iranian site labels the status of the talks to be in “deadlock” and says Fereidun’s participation in the talks is for the purpose of warning Obama’s administration about the possibility of a failure of the talks and that such an event would endanger the position of ‘moderate’ President Rouhani. The other message that he carries is that Iran opposes the March 24th deadline to reach a framework agreement and then a final agreement in June.”

Zarif on the other hand presents a different reasoning for Fereidun’s presence which he describes as, “Fereidun has been the president’s special aide in the talks and has joined the talks to coordinating with the president and the country.”

At the same time, Iranian media have been writing about who is responsible for the possible failure of the talks and true to form, it is the West.

Rooz Online