Iran Seeks Complete Lifting of EU Sanctions in Early Stages Post-Agreement

Before the start of this round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for a more active role from two key players in the negotiations: Russia and the European Union. Accordingly, Mr. Zarif first met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov in Tehran earlier this week, and after a one-day marathon of negotiations with his American counterpart in Geneva on Wednesday, he headed to influential European capitals to discuss Iran's nuclear program. He will first sit down for talks in Berlin with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Germany has taken a moderate position in recent negotiations, similar to its stance in recent years. Major German companies, having lost the lucrative Russian market due to newly imposed sanctions on that country, are awaiting progress in the nuclear talks to return to Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that Germany also has a special economic relationship with Iran. According to the newspaper, in August of last year, two economic delegations from Germany visited Iran in 2014. Following the Belgian capital, Paris will host the Iranian Foreign Minister. The city has been grappling with the aftermath of events related to the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish shop, which resulted in the deaths of French citizens and three attackers. France, particularly its Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, is known for having a tougher stance at the nuclear negotiation table. In Geneva in 2013, prior to reaching the initial agreement and the Joint Action Plan, Laurent Fabius angrily left the negotiating table, stating he did not agree with the terms of the agreement, delaying the achievement of a deal by about a week. Now, Mohammad Javad Zarif states that he is not only going to Paris to discuss nuclear issues but also to engage in dialogue about regional issues and terrorism. "Iran seeks the European Union to take definitive action to lift the Union's sanctions in the early stages, and discussions have been raised within the Union regarding this, but a definitive decision in this regard will return to the negotiating table between Iran and all 5+1 countries," said a European analyst familiar with the nuclear negotiations. On Friday, both the Iranian and American foreign ministers will be in Paris, and John Kerry has indicated that he may once again discuss with his Iranian counterpart in that city. The European analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, stated in an interview with Radio Farda regarding Mohammad Javad Zarif's European trips that Iran is seeking a more active role for the European Union regarding sanctions. One of the challenging issues in recent months on the path to reaching a comprehensive and final agreement has been the method of lifting sanctions, which this European analyst says, "Iran seeks the European Union to take definitive action to lift the Union's sanctions in the early stages, and discussions have been raised within the Union regarding this, but a definitive decision in this regard will return to the negotiating table between Iran and all 5+1 countries." Among the European 5+1 countries that the Foreign Minister is visiting, the name of one country is missing. Britain, which has played an active role in the negotiations since the beginning of the nuclear talks with the European troika over a decade ago, has not been designated as one of Mohammad Javad Zarif's travel destinations. The European analyst interviewed by Radio Farda explained this issue from two perspectives: "One is the closure of the Iranian embassy in London and the lack of diplomatic relations at levels necessary for a foreign minister's visit, and the second is the upcoming elections in Britain in the spring, which prevents the country from playing an active role and limits its participation to endorsing the approach of all 5+1 countries in the negotiations."