An Iranian Diplomat: Sanctions and Research and Development are Two Disputed Issues

According to Iranian media and Reuters, a senior Iranian nuclear diplomat present at the nuclear negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, stated on Friday, April 7, that sanctions and research and development are two contentious issues between the two sides in the negotiations. Reuters reported that both parties involved in the nuclear talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, despite claiming to be approaching an agreement, acknowledge that significant differences remain. According to the report, Iran emphasizes its right to research advanced centrifuges at the Fordow site and demands the immediate lifting of all sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, the US, and the EU. However, a Western diplomat close to the negotiations told Reuters that the issue of research on advanced centrifuges and the general matter of enrichment by Iran remains the most important unresolved issue in the negotiations. Reports also indicate that negotiations between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif began on Friday evening. Meanwhile, several foreign ministers from the 1+5 group are expected to join the negotiations on Saturday. After the new round of talks began on Wednesday in Lausanne, the Iranian Foreign Minister and his American counterpart started intense and sensitive negotiations from Thursday, and as reported by Hannah Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda from Lausanne, on Thursday night, the deputies of the foreign ministers of the six major world powers and Iran also held discussions. The Radio Farda reporter states that the 'political framework', 'understanding of the generalities of a comprehensive agreement', or as described by one of the Iranian Foreign Ministry officials in Lausanne, 'common understanding on common solutions regarding fundamental issues', whatever it is called, will only be about the generalities, and what Iran and the US have been pursuing in recent days is likely to be at the level of a statement, and in recent days, Iranian and American officials have denied the drafting of a more comprehensive document with more details. Iran insists that any agreement must be made all at once and in one phase, and the lifting of sanctions is 'part of the negotiation issue' of Iran's nuclear talks with the 1+5 countries and should be without any delay from the agreement. Meanwhile, the British newspaper The Guardian reported on Wednesday, citing a senior European diplomat, that even if this week's negotiations between Iran and world powers lead to an agreement on key aspects of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, much of this agreement will remain confidential until the end of the deadline at the end of June (July 10). The Guardian quoted this senior European diplomat as saying, 'This week is not the end of the game. There will be no agreement by the end of this week because an agreement will only be reached when all the technical details, which are numerous, are understood.' Iran and the 1+5 group have set the end of March (April 11) as their deadline for reaching a general agreement, so that they can subsequently reach a comprehensive and final agreement on the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic Republic by the end of June (three months later). However, the senior European official told The Guardian that what is more important is the second deadline, based on which all details and annexes of an agreement must be completed.