Iran Negotiation Team Member: Drafting of Final Nuclear Agreement Has Begun

A member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team announced that as of Thursday, April 22, the drafting of the final agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group, referred to by Iranian Foreign Ministry officials as the 'JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action', has commenced. According to the IRIB news agency, Hamid Baidi-Nejad, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry and a member of Iran's negotiation team, mentioned that the drafting of the final agreement 'effectively' began on Thursday, following negotiations between Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, two senior members of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, and Helga Schmid, the Deputy Secretary-General for the European Union's foreign policy, on Wednesday. Regarding which section the drafting started from, he stated: 'These are details that are discussed during the negotiations. In any case, the drafting has begun, and discussions have taken place regarding how the work will continue to some extent.' Mr. Baidi-Nejad noted that the priority for Iran's nuclear negotiation team is to clarify 'more details' regarding the lifting of Iran's sanctions. The Iranian negotiation team, led by Abbas Araqchi, arrived in Vienna for the first round of nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 group after the Lausanne nuclear understanding on Wednesday morning and is scheduled to return to Tehran on Friday. According to the state news agency IRNA, the Iranian negotiation team will discuss with the U.S. negotiation team led by Wendy Sherman, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, on Thursday. Previously, Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, had stated that sanctions were 'at the top of the agenda' for this round of nuclear negotiations in Vienna. He emphasized that the Iranian negotiation team would demand 'accurate and clear information' from the U.S. negotiation 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 world powers is one of the main emphases of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and the President of Iran. However, the U.S. has stated that if a nuclear agreement is reached with Iran, the lifting of sanctions will be done gradually. The Iranian negotiation team will travel to New York next Sunday with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, to continue negotiations there. Iran and the P5+1 group now have until July 1 to negotiate details and reach a comprehensive and final agreement for the control and oversight of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.