Tehran-SANA
The Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister, head of the delegation participating in the Vienna talks on the nuclear agreement, Abbas Araghchi affirmed that his country will not allow the ongoing nuclear talks with the Group of Four + One to be prolonged or to turn into exhaustive negotiations again. To return to its obligations under the agreement.
Araghchi said in a statement on the sidelines of the meeting of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian parliament today, "When we feel that the other parties are not serious or seek to waste time and include new issues, we will cut off negotiations, but at the same time we are not in a hurry."
Araghji explained that there are some challenges that can be reached about results, but it is still too early to talk about that, and he said, “We are not optimistic, but we have not stopped hope and we are committed to our duty in this regard, and we have some challenges, and I cannot predict from now whether we will overcome them, but Tehran’s position is clear. And it is very frank, which is the necessity of lifting the sanctions first and making sure of this before returning to our obligations stipulated in the framework of the nuclear agreement.
Araghchi pointed out that Iran has officially rejected the proposal to lift sanctions gradually and step by step, and this issue is no longer on the discussion table in Vienna, stressing that some understandings have been reached regarding lifting sanctions related to sectors such as oil, banking, financial transactions and petrochemicals.
Araghchi pointed out that there are still "complex" issues that are being worked on related to lifting penalties for persons, which include more than 1500 individuals.
The Austrian capital, Vienna, hosted two meetings of the Joint Committee on the Nuclear Agreement at the level of assistants to the foreign ministers of Iran and the Group of Four + One, which includes France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany, in parallel with technical consultations between the two expert groups concerned with lifting sanctions and nuclear issues.
The previous US administration exited the nuclear agreement unilaterally and reinstated sanctions against Iran in violation of its obligations under the agreement, and despite the current administration headed by Joe Biden declaring its desire to return to the agreement, it has not yet done so and is trying to blackmail Iran in other files, while Iran insists on the need for a return. The United States agreed to the agreement and lift the sanctions before reducing its obligations under it. It also categorically refuses to conduct any new negotiations on this or linking this matter to other files.
