President Rouhani Reveals Order to Negotiating Team to Leave N. Talks

“During the recent negotiations in Geneva and Vienna talks in the past months, it happened several times that we consulted with each other and I told them (the negotiating team) that if the opposite side didn’t accept (our demands), the team should leave the negotiating table and return to Tehran the same night,” Rouhani said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Thursday.

“Mr. Zarif (the Iranian foreign minister) remembers the hours in Lausanne (negotiations) that I sent them (the negotiating team) messages at least on two occassions and told them to leave the negotiating table and return,” he added.

Iran and the six world powers held several rounds of talks in Geneva, Lausanne and Vienna before striking a final agreement in Vienna on July 14 to end a 13-year-old nuclear standoff.

After the agreement, the UN Security Council on Monday unanimously endorsed a draft resolution turning into international law the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between Iran and the 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) group of countries over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.