Government Spokesman: I am Unaware of Obama's Letter to Iranian Officials

According to Fars News Agency, the spokesman of the Iranian government said on Tuesday, July 9, that he does not confirm the sending of a letter by Obama regarding negotiations to Iranian officials and is unaware of it. According to ISNA, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht added, "If there are matters that need to be stated, it will definitely be communicated, and let us allow political events to be pursued within the existing frameworks and protocols." On Monday, IRIB reported, citing Mehrdad Bazrpash, a member of the Iranian Parliament's presiding board, about the sending of a 'nuclear message' from Barack Obama, the President of the United States, to the Islamic Republic's officials during Haider al-Abadi's recent visit to Iran. On the same day, Reuters reported, citing a senior U.S. official in Vienna, who was not named, that reports regarding the sending of a letter by the U.S. President "are not accurate." Barack Obama had bilateral meetings with Haider al-Abadi during the latter's recent visit to the United States and also on the sidelines of the G7 summit held in Germany in June. In previous years, reports about letters from the U.S. President to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and Ayatollah Khamenei's responses to some of these letters have also been published. Regarding the extension of negotiations, the Iranian government spokesman said in another part of his remarks that the Islamic Republic's policy is not to extend negotiations with the 1+5 group in a "long-term" manner. According to IRNA, Mr. Nobakht also added, "We are looking for a good agreement; if it is not achieved tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow or four days later, an agreement will be reached." The Iranian government spokesman predicted that Iran's nuclear negotiations with the 1+5 group would reach a conclusion and also stated that the government is prepared to manage the country in case the negotiations do not succeed or if sanctions are intensified. According to IRIB, Mr. Nobakht said that a meeting was held in his office at the Organization of Management and Planning on Monday, and "various scenarios" were discussed. He added, "If the negotiations succeed, it is necessary to organize a large number of the country's graduates so that we can prepare them for engagement with foreign companies entering the country through skill training." Negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program continue in Vienna, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, who had temporarily returned to Tehran, arrived in Vienna on Tuesday morning and is scheduled to negotiate with his American counterpart John Kerry shortly. Current reports indicate that with the deadline effectively set for tomorrow, July 10, negotiations will continue for several more days.