Afkhami: The Position and Explanations of Negotiators are the Same as Iran's Fact Sheet

While the Iranian nuclear negotiating team headed to Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday morning, April 21, to continue discussions with the 5+1 group, debates and disputes continued in Tehran over whether to publish the Iranian fact sheet of the Lausanne agreement. In the ongoing struggle over the publication of the Iranian fact sheet, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the release of the fact sheet would be done "based on the discretion of the country's senior officials." According to the state news agency IRNA, Marzieh Afkhami, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, stated on Wednesday, April 21, that the contents of the Iranian fact sheet "are the same positions and explanations of the negotiating officials." She emphasized that in the nuclear negotiations with the 5+1 group, no action contrary to the wishes of the "senior officials of the country" has been taken. The official remarks from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson could be a response to accusations from Hossein Shariatmadari, who had accused Foreign Ministry officials in the Kayhan newspaper of ignoring the "emphasis" of Ayatollah Khamenei. Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan, accused the Iranian nuclear negotiating team on Tuesday of "failing to publish the Iranian fact sheet despite the emphasis" of the Supreme Leader. On the same day, Rouhollah Hosseinian, a hardline representative from Tehran in Parliament, similarly questioned the negotiating team, asking why they were withholding the publication of the Iranian fact sheet despite the Supreme Leader's directive and the request of 213 parliament members. However, the Alif website, close to Ahmad Tavakoli, a Tehran representative, criticized Shariatmadari's comments, emphasizing that the Supreme Leader has not explicitly stated in any public session that the Iranian fact sheet should be published. In this context, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated on April 8 that he had told the officials just a few days ago that they should inform the public and especially the elites about the details and realities; "We have nothing confidential, nothing hidden." Previously, some critics of the Lausanne nuclear agreement, including 212 parliament members, had stated that the texts announced by Iran and the U.S. regarding this agreement were different and demanded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran to provide the text of this agreement. In response to these requests, members of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team announced that they currently do not intend to provide a written text of the Lausanne agreement but will do so "if necessary." Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, had also previously stated that the Iranian fact sheet from the Lausanne nuclear agreement is the same as the "detailed statements" made by the Foreign Minister regarding this agreement. As discussions about the Iranian fact sheet continued, the Iranian nuclear negotiating team headed to Vienna on Wednesday morning for the first round of nuclear negotiations with the 5+1 group after the Lausanne agreement. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed a phone call between the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S., stating that this conversation was "based on the necessity of discussions within the same nuclear framework." This statement from Afkhami comes as the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, had contacted his Iranian counterpart and consulted with him about the Yemen crisis. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that this conversation was "not about the Yemen crisis." Before the new round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna began, Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, identified sanctions as the "top priority" of this round of negotiations. He emphasized that the Iranian nuclear negotiating team would demand "precise and clear information" from the U.S. negotiating team regarding the "details" related to the lifting of sanctions. The lifting of sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program immediately after a potential final agreement with the world powers is one of the main emphases of the Supreme Leader and the President of Iran. However, the U.S. has stated that if a nuclear agreement with Iran is reached, the lifting of Tehran's sanctions will be gradual. A senior member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team also warned about the consequences of the passage of a bill known as the "Review of the Iran Nuclear Agreement" in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, emphasizing that this bill "calls into question the fundamental principle of good faith and will have negative consequences and effects." According to Araqchi, it is the responsibility of the U.S. government to ensure the implementation of its obligations, "especially regarding sanctions-related matters," regardless of "domestic political disputes" in that country. He added, "In any case, it has been agreed and accepted so far that the lifting of sanctions should not be conditional on unrelated issues." On Tuesday, April 14, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously voted on a proposal that, if finally approved by Congress and signed by the U.S. President, would give Congress the authority to comment on the final agreement with Iran. Despite previous disagreements between the White House and U.S. senators over this proposal, the White House announced that Barack Obama, the U.S. President, welcomes the changes made to this proposal. In this context, the U.S. State Department's fact sheet from the Lausanne nuclear agreement has prompted 212 parliament members to demand the publication of the Iranian fact sheet from the nuclear agreement. Zarif: The publication of the Iranian fact sheet is on the Foreign Ministry's agenda. Khamenei's advisor opposed the publication of the Lausanne agreement fact sheet.