Getting to the wire in Iran-P5+1 nuclear talks

Crescent International

Jumada' al-Akhirah 09, 1436 2015-03-29

Daily News Analysis

by Crescent International

In the absence of confirmed news, western media outlets have resorted to their favorite ploy of wild speculation aimed at projecting the western point of view. Iranian officials have dampened such speculation saying good progress has been made but some tough decisions need to be made by the other side. The next two days will tell whether a framework agreement can be finalized.

Lausanne,
Sunday March 29, 2015, 22:07 DST

The talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries are going to the wire in Lausanne, Switzerland. While both sides have said good progress has been made, there are still some tough decisions to be made. Today (Sunday) the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Russia and China also joined the talks that were being held with the American delegation led by US Secretary of State John Kerry. They will start the talks on Monday morning (in a few hours) and determine whether the P5+1 countries can show the necessary political courage to bring about the deal and get over their unreasonable demands.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is reported to be the most difficult. He is widely seen as representing Zionist Israel at the talks. He is a well- known Zionist. What diplomats at the talks have hinted at, without attribution, is that they are on the verge of arriving at a political understanding but certain crucial decisions have yet to be made. What these are have not been revealed. There has been speculation in the Western media that Iran has agreed to limit its centrifuges to 6,000 from its current level of 19,000.

Further, that Iran would ship its low level of enriched uranium out of the country, possibly to Russia. Not so, said Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs. He said this was pure speculation and aimed at undermining the talks. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has said that his country has shown the political will at the highest level including the Leader, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

Now it was for the other side to show the same degree of political will and make the tough decisions. Speculation has revolved around the scope of research and development Iran would carry out after the 10-year period and how UN Security Council sanctions would be lifted, Laura Rozen of Al-Monitor reported this today (March 29), quoting unnamed US officials. Others have speculated that there would be a step-by-step approach to the deal.

For instance, US officials have said all parties, including Iran, had agreed "there needs to be a phased step by step reciprocal approach." Based on this Iran's steps to scale back its nuclear program would be met with a phased lifting of sanctions. Iranian officials have neither confirmed nor denied these reports merely expressing optimism and saying, “the chances of getting a deal are there.” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the talks were "in their final phase and very difficult", but ruled out sending the country's nuclear stocks abroad - one of the steps demanded by the P5+1.

“There are only a few issues left without a solution,” Araghchi told Iranian media in an interview March 29. We are trying to find solutions for all the issues. It needs emphasizing that the parties are working for a framework agreement whose details will be worked out later and finalized by June 30. Iran has said if an agreement is reached, the announcement must be made at the UN offices in Geneva to give it proper international legitimacy.

The next two days will tell whether the west is serious about reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program that has from day one been based on wild speculation. The real reason for the anti-Iran propaganda is not its nuclear program but its refusal to submit to the diktats of the predatory powers led by the US.

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