Iran and 5+1 Foreign Ministers to Meet on Nuclear Negotiations on Monday

After meetings between Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, and finally Philip Hammond, Britain's Foreign Minister, the foreign ministers of the seven countries will sit down for negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday. The British Foreign Minister was the last to meet with Mr. Zarif on the evening of Sunday, April 9. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, reported at the end of this meeting that the Iran and 5+1 ministerial meeting will be held at the Baur au Lac Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland. Reuters quoted Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, as saying on Sunday among reporters that 'there have been advances and setbacks in recent hours.' He added, 'I do not rule out the possibility that crises may arise during the negotiations.' According to diplomats quoted by AFP, a potential agreement has been reached among the parties; however, they cautiously stated that no complete agreement has yet been made. A Western diplomat told the agency that Iran has 'more or less' agreed to reduce the number of its centrifuges to two-thirds of the existing number (i.e., 6,000 out of 20,000) and to transfer enriched uranium abroad. However, this was denied by Abbas Araqchi, one of Iran's senior negotiators. Hana Kavyani, a reporter from Radio Farda in Lausanne, stated that Mr. Araqchi told Iranian state television that Tehran has no plans to transfer enriched uranium abroad. However, he added that there are other solutions for this issue. Mr. Araqchi said on Sunday, 'Solutions have been found for many issues, and only for two or three topics do we still not have solutions.' According to the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, 'In the matter of the nuclear program and confidence-building, the issue of Iran's enrichment capacity is raised. Also, the nuclear reserves, Iran's enriched materials, and how to monitor them, our nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow, as well as the heavy water research reactor in Arak, need solutions to ensure their peaceful nature is confirmed and sufficient assurance is obtained.' John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, who has been in talks with Mohammad Javad Zarif since last Thursday, has canceled his plans to leave Lausanne. Mr. Kerry was supposed to attend a memorial service for former U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy. The foreign ministers of Britain and France have also postponed their other travel plans to be present in Lausanne. The presence of the foreign ministers from the negotiating countries has added to some cautious optimism regarding the potential for an agreement between Iran and the U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain, and Germany. The British Foreign Minister, who met with the Iranian Foreign Minister on Sunday, previously told reporters that if 'any prospect of progress' in the talks is seen, he would 'fly to Switzerland on the first flight.' The British Foreign Minister tweeted: 'Tough negotiations with Zarif on remaining issues; but hard work to reach an agreement.' The negotiating parties have emphasized that they are pursuing a political agreement by the end of March. Although the deadline set in the interim agreement is until the end of June, this is the time they want to discuss the details of a comprehensive agreement. As a result, the sensitivity of the negotiations has increased in the last two days of March. On the other hand, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, in remarks on his country's state radio on Sunday, strongly criticized the negotiations and potential agreement, stating that an agreement is being drafted that 'confirms all of Israel's concerns.' In the last days of March, the Wall Street Journal reported that the White House has intensified its efforts to convince public opinion and lawmakers in the country to support the (potential) agreement. Sources in Washington told the newspaper that officials have been trying to convince skeptical Democrats about the nuclear agreement in recent days. The majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is opposed to Barack Obama's administration. The Israeli Prime Minister, who has made efforts to prevent the agreement, said on Sunday that Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader of the Republicans in Congress, has promised that 'Congress will prevent a bad nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers.' John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, also stated in an interview with CNN, 'I don't understand why we should sign an agreement with a group of people who, in my opinion, have no intention of standing by their word.' Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration claims that Republicans are trying to stop the political process for reaching any agreement with Iran. Additionally, figures like Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Minister, have warned that a potential failure of the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran would mean creating a 'fundamentally' more unstable Middle East and involving its countries in an arms race. In any case, the possibility has been raised that some kind of voting in Congress will take place regarding the potential agreement with Iran; Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator, is among those who have raised such a possibility.