Kerry After Meeting with Zarif in Geneva: The Negotiations Were Very Good and Positive

Reports indicate that the latest round of negotiations between Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, and John Kerry, his American counterpart, aimed at "removing obstacles to drafting a comprehensive agreement" on nuclear issues concluded on Saturday, May 30. John Kerry, after the meeting and in response to a question from Hana Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda in Geneva, said: "These negotiations were very good and positive." Meanwhile, according to IRNA, Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of the Iranian negotiating team, stated that differences still remain. Araghchi mentioned that during the meeting, all topics were thoroughly reviewed in the presence of the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S., but differences and discrepancies still exist. He added: "The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Thursday this week with the presence of deputies and experts from the P5+1 in Vienna." Reports indicate that in the negotiations on Saturday, besides the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S., Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Helga Schmid, Deputy Coordinator of the EU's foreign policy, Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State, Abbas Araghchi, and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, deputies of the foreign ministers, were also present. According to Reuters, this round of negotiations is the most crucial since reaching an "understanding" in Lausanne regarding the general framework on April 2. The report states that the issue of access and inspection of Iran's military facilities remains one of the unresolved key issues between Iran and the P5+1. Iran had previously demanded the lifting of all sanctions simultaneously with reaching a final agreement. Iran and the P5+1 have until June 30 to reach a comprehensive and final agreement to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute. According to Reuters, a senior U.S. State Department official stated that significant progress has been made in the Vienna negotiations in recent weeks regarding the drafting of a political agreement and three annexes concerning Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. had previously announced that it was not inclined to extend the deadline for nuclear negotiations with Iran beyond June 30. Meanwhile, according to IRNA, Abbas Araghchi had mentioned before the start of Saturday's negotiations that "the implementation of the Additional Protocol is one of the contentious issues between Iran and the P5+1" and expressed hope that a solution would be found during the one-day talks in Geneva. He added that the bilateral meeting today was a discussion about substantive issues and matters for which solutions have not yet been found. There are still issues for which we are seeking solutions, and we hope today's meeting will help find solutions. This senior member of the Iranian negotiating team emphasized that discussions about interviewing scientists and inspecting Iran's military sites are completely off the table, but discussions between Iran and the P5+1 continue within the frameworks anticipated by the Additional Protocol. Araghchi also stated that no agreement had been reached previously or currently, and discussions and debates are ongoing. The implementation of the Additional Protocol is one of the contentious issues we are currently discussing. In recent weeks, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Abbas Araghchi have repeatedly spoken about "managed access" to Iran's military sites based on the Additional Protocol, stating that "access" refers not to inspections but to "environmental sampling." Meanwhile, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has ruled out interviews with Iranian nuclear scientists and inspections of military sites, with one of the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards deeming inspections of these sites "espionage under any title." Following these statements from the Iranian leader, a wave of opposition to the "managed access" inspections by the agency began among Friday prayer leaders and hardline conservatives. Nevertheless, Abbas Araghchi stated on June 8 that the idea of "managed access" to Iran's military sites had not been agreed upon "in Tehran." In this context, the two foreign ministers' negotiations in Geneva aimed to examine the "reasons for the slow drafting of the agreement" and Iran's criticism of the IAEA's quarterly report. Zarif in Geneva: "We will decide after reviewing the latest status of the negotiations." The Friday prayer leader of Tehran stated: "Allowing inspections of military sites is a permit for attack."