Iran's Government Spokesman: We Aim to Conclude Negotiations by April 1

The spokesman for the Iranian government, referring to the composition of Iran's nuclear negotiating team during last week's bilateral talks with the United States, stated, "We are time-bound, and we aim to conclude negotiations by April 1 of next year." In the final two days of the bilateral negotiations between Iran and the U.S., which ended on February 23, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, and Hossein Fereydoun, special assistant to the Iranian president, were present. This was the first time during the Iran-U.S. nuclear negotiations that high-ranking officials from both sides, aside from the foreign ministers, were involved. Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that "the composition of Iran's negotiating team in this round of talks reflects the firm will of the Iranian nation for constructive engagement with the world." According to ILNA news agency, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, said on Wednesday, February 25, "Our intention is not just to reach a final result in general terms, but we want the negotiations to conclude with all details by this date." He added, "To achieve this, changes in procedures need to be made, and God willing, we will act appropriately in this regard, defending the rights of our nation in a suitable manner." In recent weeks, following statements from the Supreme Leader, Iranian officials have emphasized the need for a one-stage agreement with the P5+1 countries. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had called on February 8 for "an agreement on both the generalities and details to be reached in one stage, with clear and unambiguous terms." However, just hours after these remarks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that any extension of nuclear negotiations with Iran after April 1 would be off the table unless a framework and outline of an agreement were established by that time. Based on previous agreements between Iran and the six world powers, both sides must reach a "political agreement" by the end of March (April 1) and ultimately achieve a comprehensive nuclear agreement by July 1. According to AFP, John Kerry also emphasized the need to reach a political agreement on Iran's nuclear issue by the end of March during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart on February 7. Concurrently with Nobakht's remarks, the former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated on Wednesday, "Compromises can be made in nuclear negotiations, considering the country's interests and beliefs." According to IRNA news agency, Fereydoun Abbasi also clarified, "We should not naively assume that sanctions will be lifted." Meanwhile, President Hassan Rouhani stated on Wednesday, "Our negotiating counterpart must understand that the end of these negotiations and the result of the agreement should be the lifting of all oppressive and illegal sanctions." The immediate lifting of all Western sanctions against Iran has been declared as one of Iran's demands in nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 countries. At the same time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted on February 18 that international sanctions against Iran would remain even if a nuclear agreement were reached. In a different part of his remarks, the government spokesman addressed the claim by Elias Naderan, a representative from Tehran, regarding the exit of "cash shipments" from Iran, stating that "none of the government's actions are illegal." He added, "Rest assured that we are seeking to counter the actions of the enemies of the revolution, and those who make such statements should pay attention to the current conditions and know that we are managing under very difficult circumstances." Elias Naderan reported on February 23 that he had received reports about the exit of "cash shipments" from Iran, stating that this currency had been released from the Geneva agreement. On the same day, Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's Central Bank, stated that "the Central Bank has responsibilities regarding the market that it is currently fulfilling." Previously, following disagreements between the Iranian government and parliament regarding the withdrawal of $4.1 billion from the National Development Fund, government officials announced that this withdrawal was based on a resolution from the Special Economic Measures Headquarters, which, according to them, was established by a resolution from the Supreme National Security Council and approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the "sanctions period" to make "special" decisions, and all its resolutions are "completely confidential."