A senior nuclear negotiator said the termination of six resolutions by the United Nations Security Council against Tehran’s nuclear program under a final deal, which has been envisaged in the recent framework understanding between Iran and the major powers, would be an “unprecedented move.”
Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) issued a joint statement on Thursday after eight days of intensive talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne outlining the key parameters of the final nuclear deal to resolve the long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear work. The negotiating parties are set to finalize the comprehensive accord by the June 30 deadline building on the outline agreement.
The statement said, “A new UN Security Council Resolution will endorse the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the official name of the final pact), terminate all previous nuclear-related resolutions and incorporate certain restrictive measures for a mutually agreed period of time.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told the state television late on Friday that “scrapping six binding resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council under the Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter is an unprecedented move,” adding, “This victory was the result of ten years of an all-out fight by the Iranian nations,” IRNA reported.
“The most important strong point of the Lausanne agreement is that the world has officially recognized Iran’s nuclear program… the international community and the six major world powers, out of which five are veto-wielding countries, have recognized this program despite their resolutions and the doubts they have raised (about Tehran’s nuclear work).”
He also pointed to the fact sheet released by the US on the decisions made in Lausanne about the elements of the final nuclear accord and said, “We want the people to trust us, not the other parties. The American side is not trustworthy and we should not trust the American fact sheet or interviews by the American side more than our own side.”
Strategic Importance
On the underground Fordo nuclear facility, which has been a major sticking point in nuclear negotiations, Araqchi said, “Fordo is strategically important to us, and the site was built when our nuclear facilities came under threat. We built Fordo to indicate that we will not halt our enrichment program.”
He added that Fordo will remain a nuclear site and “retain its uranium enrichment capability.”
“1,000 (centrifuge) machines and other systems will be in the site and whenever the other side reneges on its commitments, the machines will be put into operation.”
The joint statement said Fordo will be converted from an enrichment site into a nuclear, physics and technology center.
