Exclusive: Iran can get more concessions due to power shift - Marandi
5 Min Read
The advisor to the Iranian delegation in the Vienna negotiations says the shift in the balance of power away from the West has given Iran the opportunity to obtain more concessions from the P4+1.
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The advisor to the Iranian delegation in the Vienna negotiations, Seyed Mohammad Marandi
The United States and other countries that are closely associated with the United States are concerned or unhappy that Iran has been able to negotiate so well and gain so many concessions, Seyyed Mohammed Marandi, chief advisor to the Iranian negotiating team in the Vienna talks, told Al Mayadeen on Wednesday.
Marandi underlined that Washington has been unable to "seal the deal" with Tehran due to the heavy opposition from its allies and other parties, noting that this prompted a lot of disinformation regarding the nuclear talks between Iran and major world powers.
"For example, one of the claims that we've been hearing over the last few days is that the Iranians have agreed to relinquish the case of removing the (Islamic Revolution) Guards from the US foreign terrorist organization list. But as you know [...] the removal of the [IRGC] from the US foreign terrorist organization [list]... has never been a precondition," Marandi said.
"Iran is quite satisfied to keep CENTCOM on its foreign terrorist organization list. So when the Americans say, as we've heard over the past few days, that Iran has agreed to this change, that is false," the advisor added.
The talks between Iran and the other parties to the nuclear agreement have been stuck on a few points, mainly the removal of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) from the US "terror list", with IRNA reporting earlier this month that Tehran was adamant about the removal.
The statement came from a source close to the Iranian delegation to Vienna in response to a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Tehran has dropped its demand that the IRGC be removed from Washington's "terrorist blacklist" in exchange for sanctions relief in order to complete the stalled efforts to restart the nuclear deal.
President Biden dismissed in April a demand from Iran for him to reverse a decision taken by the Trump administration in 2019 to label the IRGC a "terrorist organization". A group of US senators in May signed a resolution declaring that the US should not agree to any deal that would entail the lifting of sanctions on Iran.
"The Americans are looking for something to say to make themselves look strong, like whether it's claims about Iran's negotiating position" or disinformation, he said.
"The White House wants to sell the deal to the American public and to its adversaries in the United States, and therefore it has to make these statements. But since they contradict what has been said over the last few months, I think it's clear that it is false," Marandi explained.
The Republicans in the United States staunchly oppose the nuclear deal and are constantly seeking to undermine it since former GOP President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement, alleging that it was harmful to US interests and was only beneficial for Iran.
Major powers and Iran are holding talks in Vienna with the aim of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement and returning the US to it following Washington's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 under Trump, who accompanied his decision with the imposition of harsh sanctions on Tehran.
In response, Iran gradually withdrew from its commitments under the JCPOA, seeing that the agreement was no longer binding.
"The fact is that the situation in Europe is very bad. The energy crisis is devastating. The Iranian peaceful nuclear program is expanding at a very rapid pace. So the United States needs a deal. And since it's not negotiating from a position of strength, it is forced, therefore, to fabricate an argument to make itself look strong," Marandi explained.
The adviser to the Iranian delegation in Vienna Seyed Mohammad Marandi to #AlMayadeen: #Iran wants the nuclear deal, but the #US and the #Europeans need the deal. #JCPOA @s_m_marandi pic.twitter.com/iUl5vmKADS
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 24, 2022
"When the Iranians sent [their] changes (to the nuclear text), Borrell said that the Iranian changes were reasonable. So that shows the strength of the Iranian position that even when the Europeans, in coordination with the Americans, give a final text and that text of that so-called final text is very different from what they were saying eight months ago," he added.
In other words, Marandi underlined, Iran has gained major concessions, "whether in regards to verifications, [...] sanctions, [...] guarantees [...], and Iran's major advances in its nuclear program."
"In all these areas, Iran may gain major concessions. So after gaining all these concessions, the Europeans gave the so-called final text and said, take it or leave it in coordination with the Americans."
The Iranian advisor highlighted that the Israeli occupation regime has shown itself "willing to sacrifice Europe - the whole of Europe for the Israelis or whether the Americans are going to behave more reasonably."
"Well, the Israeli influence in Washington is obviously significant. But then again, does the United States want to sacrifice all of its allies on the continent by allowing energy prices to continue to rise without doing anything to help them?" he asked.
The adviser to the Iranian delegation in #Vienna Seyed Mohammad Marandi to #AlMayadeen: What we have to see now is whether the #Americans are going to sacrifice #Europe in this time of crisis like "Israel" did for its own selfish interests.@s_m_marandi pic.twitter.com/2shev8BpXD
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 24, 2022
"Israelis recognize the balance of power is shifting away from the West, and this is something that the United States is having to deal with [...] This is one of the reasons why [...] the Iranians have been able to gain key concessions at the negotiating table," Marandi concluded.
