Iran is engaging in the new round of negotiations on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal with the same demands that chiefly involve measures by the United States toward honoring its commitments under the agreement, Iranian lawmakers said.
“Iran’s condition is the implementation of all commitments under the JCPOA,” parliament member Shahriyar Heydari told ICANA, using the abbreviation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is formally called.
Negotiations that started in the Austrian capital Vienna in April aim to bring both the US and Iran back into full compliance with the deal.
Iran has been exceeding JCPOA limits on its nuclear program as a countermeasure against sweeping sanctions that the US reimposed after its unilateral exit from the accord in 2018.
The Vienna talks were suspended in June after a change of government in Iran, but are set to restart on Nov. 29 with a new Iranian delegation.
Tehran demands effective and verifiable removal of all American sanctions at once, plus firm assurances from the US that it would not violate the international agreement again.
This approach is “right and logical”, according to Heydari.
“Iran’s nuclear activities have always been transparent and within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency, so US sanctions and economic pressures cannot continue,” he said.
He added that although Iran is negotiating with European and Asian parties, it is the US that plays the key role due to its pressure on other countries to abide by its sanctions and refrain from meeting their obligations.
Receiving guarantees is also a major principle, said Abbas Moqtadaei, another lawmaker.
“The western side must definitely pull down the wall of mistrust that has been created,” he said.
Iran would lose its motivation to continue dialogue if the negotiations result in the same wobbly commitments as before, he added.
The western side has reaped the benefits of the JCPOA while Iran has gained none, according to Moqtadaei.
“We enter talks in which both sides feel that their interests are ensured,” he said.
No Achilles Heel
Parliamentarian Alireza Nazari also stressed that Iran’s general policy is not to leave the negotiating table to avoid creating an Achilles heel from a refusal to talk on Tehran’s part.
“We welcome any method of negotiation with the aim of serving our national interests,” he said.
Nevertheless, it is essential, according to the lawmaker, to strengthen relations with eastern counties to convey the message to western states that Iran is not awaiting their decision on the JCPOA and pursues its international ties anyway.
Lawmaker Mohammad Saleh Jokar also highlighted the importance of creativity and innovative methods in the talks, including the Iranian diplomats’ separate discussions with negotiating parties.
“This different method of holding separate consultations with the P4+1 countries [JCPOA members minus the US] will eventually prepare the ground for a collective meeting,” he said.
“It is expected that we reach an agreement that meets the interests of the Iranian nation in the main negotiations using this technique,” he added.
Although the way of negotiating has changed, Iran’s demands have stayed the same, Mohammad Hassan Asafari told the parliament’s news agency.
The lifting of all nuclear and economic sanctions as well as strong commitment to adhere to the deal remain to be conditions for the US return to the JCPOA, he said.
“Talks are held with the P4+1 … the US is not allowed to sit at the negotiating table so long as it has not fulfilled its obligations.”
Hossein Noushabadi, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy commission, said Washington’s decision to rejoin the accord must not be affected by a change in the US government or Congress.
“International agreements must not fall apart with the change of presidents and other state individuals’ taking and leaving positions,” he said, reiterating that guarantees are needed on the US part in this regard.
It is important, according to Noushabadi, that the removal of sanctions result in the normalization of Iran’s trade and banking ties with the world, including western countries, as well as the release of Iranian frozen assets in the US and any state under its dominance.
