Iran requires a commitment that the United States will not again abandon the nuclear deal signed with world powers in 2015, the country’s new chief negotiator and deputy foreign minister told The Guardian.
Ali Bagheri Kani also said that talks in Vienna between Iran and other signatories failed to reach an agreement on a means to verify that US sanctions have been lifted and have a practical impact on trade with Iran.
“We need verification and this remains unsolved. It is one of the topics that has not yet been finalized. It is not enough to put ink on the contract, ”he said. Bagheri Kani did not rule out that an independent body is responsible for the verification.
The Vienna talks are due to resume at the end of the month after being suspended by Iran following the June election of a new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi. Bagheri Kani is on a tour of European capitals to expose the Iranian negotiating position.
Iran has said that it will not take its own steps to fully comply with the agreement until verification of US actions has been secured. Iran has been increasing its arsenal of uranium and the use of advanced centrifuges beyond the limits set in the agreement. It has limited the access of the UN nuclear inspection.
Defending his demand that the United States give a guarantee that it will comply with the agreement, Bagheri Kani said: “This is an agreement, not a policy. If there is a peace agreement between two states, it has the effect of a treaty. This is international law. The national laws of the United States are not intended to take precedence over an international agreement. That goes against international law. “
He added that he wanted European powers to give their own guarantees that they will trade with Iran, regardless of the US position, possibly through the use of a blockade statute that nullifies the effect of US sanctions on European companies that trade with Iran. .
Bagheri Kani denied that Iran had stalled in resuming talks in an effort to develop its own nuclear program, and said it was natural for a new government to take time to prepare its negotiating position and hold bilateral talks with the other parties.
The minister reiterated calls for the lifting of all US sanctions linked to the nuclear deal. Iran believes that the sanctions that the United States claims were imposed for acts of terrorism or Iranian human rights abuses are linked to the nuclear deal and therefore require its lifting.
He also ruled out discussions about Iran’s missile and security program from being included in the deal. He said: “The JCPOA has a clear framework and other issues are not relevant. We are not going to negotiate on our defense capabilities or our security ”.
He added: “Iran’s relations with other countries did not need a tutor.”
He denied that his negotiating position was so tough that it would be impossible to reach an agreement in Vienna. “We are just saying that according to the JCPOA, the sanctions should be lifted. We made a deal and our opinion is that it should be implemented. “
When asked if he was demanding that the Vienna talks go back to the beginning, he said: “The important thing is not where we started from, but the important thing is that we reach an agreement that has practical results for the parties. Our main objective is to remove the illegal sanctions that have been imposed on the Iranian nation in violation of UN resolutions. Any sanction that violates the JCPOA imposed by President Obama and President Trump must be lifted. That is the agreement established by the JCPOA ”.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism