Exclusive: Europeans, Americans failed to subjugate Iran - Marandi

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Aug 2022 22:11

Adviser to the Iranian negotiating team in Vienna, Seyed Mohammad Marandi confirms in an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen that progress has been made during the Vienna talks, however, no final agreement has been reached.

Vienna talks (archive)

Adviser to the Iranian negotiating team, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, told Al Mayadeen, on Saturday, that there has been "overall progress" in the ongoing Vienna talks between Iran and the US. However, he notes that this does not mean that an agreement has been reached and that "caution is required."

Mainly, Marandi said, there are certain issues that need to be resolved between the two countries otherwise "we cannot have an agreement."

Marandi added to Al Mayadeen that "all of Iran's requests came within the joint action plan" adding that they do not breach the agreement at any point." The Iranian adviser explained that "The issue of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) being on the US foreign terror organization list was never a pre-condition for the nuclear deal with Iran."

Political Analyst Seyed Mohammad Marandi to #AlMayadeen: The issue of the [Islamic Revolution] Guards [Corps] being on the #US foreign terror organization list was never a pre-condition for the nuclear deal with #Iran. #JCPOA @s_m_marandi pic.twitter.com/fX76Xkxayl
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 6, 2022

He stressed that "the Europeans and the Americans failed to subjugate Iran regarding the nuclear agreement," revealing that "It is fair to say that of the comments we received from unnamed from European sources that there has been a readjustment of their position on multiple issues...Adjusting the position is one thing but adjusting it in a way that the other side can agree with is another thing."

Marandi said, "I do not know if we will reach an agreement, and the chances of reaching it are 50%. What is important for Iran is to see progress, and as long as progress continues, negotiations will continue... and what concerns us is reaching a fair agreement."

The Iranian advisor added, "Iran needs to make sure that there are no loopholes in any agreement that the Americans can use tomorrow against the Iranians," given the history of US breaches of the 2015 JCPOA agreement.

Sources revealed to Al Mayadeen that "during the past two days, views were exchanged on the European proposal and on Tehran's ideas," noting that "what was raised about Iran's retreat is a Western media game that has nothing to do with reality."

This comes following the White House announcement, on August 4, that "negotiations with Iran for reaching a nuclear agreement are almost complete," noting that time was "running out," calling on Tehran to accept the agreement on the table at the present time.

Political Analyst Seyed Mohammad Marandi to #AlMayadeen: In light of the accusations that the Israeli regime has made against #Iran, remember that the International Atomic Energy board of directors is not a technical body; it is a political body. #JCPOA @s_m_marandi pic.twitter.com/Vwy92A1mwD
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 6, 2022

The negotiators in charge of the Iranian nuclear file met in Vienna on the same day, in an attempt to revive the nuclear agreement after a 5-month hiatus. For the first time since last March, all parties involved in the agreement, namely: Iran, Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany, are meeting, in addition to the indirect participation of the US, with the aim of reviving the 2015 agreement.

The chief Iranian negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, commented that "the ball is in the US court" and called on them to "act responsibly."

A source close to the Iranian negotiating delegation in Vienna, as cited by IRNA, confirmed that "Iran has not abandoned the removal of the IRNA from the US terrorism list. The media claims are worthless.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent to Vienna indicated, earlier, that the European troika confirmed that “what is happening is not a round of negotiations, but rather technical talks regarding Iranian responses to Josep Borrell’s action plan,” noting that “the main issues of discussion are on the American and Iranian sides.”

According to the sources, "the text of the agreement is on the table, and there will be no new round of negotiations," stressing that "Iran should seize the opportunity to reach the agreement."

The stalemate stagnates at the indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement, signed in 2015, between Iran and the major international powers in addition to Germany.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed the maximum pressure strategy against Iran, through economic sanctions, and Tehran responded by abandoning some of the restrictions on its nuclear activity as were initially stipulated in the agreement.