Iran: G5+1 Should Get Ready for Hard Decisions

A senior Iranian negotiator said the six world powers (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) need to take some difficult decisions if they want the negotiations with Tehran to move forward and end in a final deal.
“If the westerners are really after settling Iran’s nuclear issue, they shouldn’t seek excuses and should try to cope with Iran’s realities,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and a senior negotiator in talks with the world powers Majid Takht Ravanchi said in Tehran on Tuesday.

“If they are to take a hard decision, now is the time; this is possible if they really favor talks,” he added.

Stressing that Iran never accepts a “decorative” nuclear enrichment program, Takht Ravanchi said that the country is now possessing an advanced enrichment program which cannot be stopped.

Asked if the nuclear talks could be extended beyond the November 24 deadline, he said, “We are not thinking about extending the negotiations as we are trying to reach the desirable results in the specified period of time (left to the deadline).”

Also on Saturday, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, another Iranian deputy foreign minister and senior negotiator, described the removal of all sanctions against Tehran as a precondition for a comprehensive deal with the world powers, and said Iran will not retreat even an iota from its nuclear rights.

“Iran’s negotiations with the Group 5+1 is progressing on a hard path with ups and downs and there is no bright perspective envisaged for its ending by the deadlines,” Araqchi said.

Araqchi stressed Iran’s full preparedness to take more actions for increased transparency in its nuclear program, but meantime said, “We will not retreat even one step from the country’s nuclear rights; no machine or equipment will be dismantled, the country’s R&D will not be impaired and the most important of all, the industrial enrichment will be materialized powerfully and within the framework of the country’s needs.”

Araqchi underscored the necessity for the removal of all embargos against Iran, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will not accept the remaining of even one sanction in the comprehensive nuclear agreement.”

Also on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined that the country would continue talks with the world powers to restore its right of using the peaceful nuclear technology and remove the sanctions.

Addressing a gathering of local people in the Northwestern city of Zanjan, President Rouhani said that Iranian nuclear negotiating team has the support of both the Supreme Leader and the nation, underlining that Iran is resolved to continue its constructive interaction with the Sextet of world powers to narrow down differences over its civilian nuclear program to remove all sanctions for ever.

He said Iranians should be confident that the country’s officials, particularly nuclear negotiators, would never compromise national interests under any conditions.

Iran and the six major world powers ended their 8th round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna earlier this month.

The 7th round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 was held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting last month.

The two sides held six rounds of negotiations in Vienna to reach a comprehensive deal after they inked an interim agreement in Geneva on November 24.

The Geneva agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.