Posted in: 29/08/2022 – 17:15
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that “without resolving the issues of safeguards (regarding the issue of undeclared sites), talking about the agreement (regarding Iran’s nuclear program) is pointless.” This statement comes while Tehran is studying the US response to its proposals regarding the “final” draft submitted by the European Union on reviving the agreement.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stressed that reviving the agreement his country signed with major powers regarding his country’s nuclear program remains “useless” unless the International Atomic Energy Agency is closed. Unadvertised sites issue.
The issue of finding in earlier stages traces of nuclear materials at three sites that the Islamic Republic has not declared that it witnessed such activities, raises tension between Tehran on the one hand, and Western powers and the International Agency of the United Nations.
Raisi’s comments come while Tehran is studying American response On proposals submitted by the Islamic Republic in response to a “final” draft presented by the European Union with the aim of achieving indirect talks between the two parties that began last year. Revival of 2015 agreement which Washington withdrew from in 2018.
“On the issue of negotiations, the issue of guarantees (in reference to the issue of undeclared sites) is one of the core issues. All issues of guarantees must be resolved,” the Iranian president said.
“Without resolving the issues of guarantees, talking about the agreement is pointless,” he added.
Over the past months, Iran has reiterated its request to end the issue of these sites. In June, the IAEA’s Board of Governors passed a resolution condemning Iran for not cooperating with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in the case.
The move aroused sharp criticism from Tehran, which it considers a “political” measure, and in response it suspended a number of the IAEA’s surveillance cameras in some of its facilities.
The agreement between Tehran and six major international powers, whose official name is the “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action”, allowed the lifting of sanctions on the Islamic Republic in return for reducing its nuclear activities and ensuring the peace of its program. However, the United States unilaterally withdrew from it during the tenure of its former president, Donald Trump, re-imposing sanctions on Iran, which responded by beginning to gradually retreat from most of its commitments.
Iran and the powers still affiliated with the agreement (France, Britain, Germany, Russia, and China) began discussions to revive it in April 2021, and then suspended it for the first time in June of the same year. After its resumption in November, it was suspended again since mid-March, with points of disagreement remaining between Washington and Tehran, despite significant progress being made towards achieving the understanding.
The two parties, in coordination with the European Union, held indirect talks for two days in Doha in late June, which did not lead to any significant progress. On August 4, the talks resumed in Vienna with the indirect participation of the United States.
After four days of negotiations, the European Union confirmed that it had presented to the two main parties a “final” settlement formula.
Tehran initially submitted its proposals to this text, and the United States responded to them last week. Tehran confirmed that it is studying this response before expressing its opinion to the European Union.
FRANCE 24/AFP