Kyodo News: Iran to Negotiate with Three European Powers in Geneva on Friday

Kyodo News reported on Sunday that a few days after the approval of a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog against Tehran, the Iranian government intends to discuss its controversial nuclear program with three European powers on November 29 (December 9) in Geneva. According to Reuters, the Islamic Republic of Iran reacted to this resolution proposed by Britain, France, Germany, and the United States. Iranian government officials listed various responses, including 'activating a large number of new and advanced centrifuges.' According to Kyodo News, the government of Masoud Pezeshkian, head of the Iranian government, is seeking a solution to overcome the current nuclear deadlock before the inauguration of Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States in January. An Iranian senior official confirmed the meeting scheduled for next Friday, adding, 'Tehran has always believed that the nuclear issue should be resolved through diplomacy. Iran has never left the negotiations.' In 2018, the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and six major powers and imposed severe sanctions on the Iranian government, to which Tehran responded by violating some of the nuclear restrictions of the agreement, including uranium enrichment percentages and expanding the number and types of centrifuges. Indirect negotiations between the Biden administration and Tehran to revive this agreement have failed, but Trump stated in his September campaign that 'we must reach an agreement because the consequences are impossible. We must agree.' Yesterday, the United States, France, Britain, and Germany welcomed the adoption of the IAEA Board of Governors resolution against the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic, expressing concern over the 'non-peaceful' expansion of this program. These four Western powers emphasized in a joint statement that the Islamic Republic's decision to further develop its nuclear program, without providing peaceful reasons, is alarming. They urged the Islamic Republic to return to the path of dialogue and cooperation with the agency and to refrain from its provocative actions. In this statement, the issuance of the Board of Governors resolution on Thursday, December 1, was seen as a response to Iran's lack of cooperation in clarifying information about undisclosed nuclear materials discovered in several locations. The signatory countries stated that the Islamic Republic is obligated to inform the International Atomic Energy Agency of all its activities and materials under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. On Thursday, December 1, 1403, the IAEA Board of Governors condemned the Islamic Republic's lack of cooperation with the agency and its secrecy in Iran's nuclear activities by adopting a resolution. In this resolution, the Islamic Republic was asked to promptly provide 'valid explanations regarding human-origin uranium particles at two undeclared locations in Iran and to inform the agency of the current locations of nuclear materials or contaminated equipment' and to provide 'the information, documents, and responses required by the agency' in this regard and to facilitate access to the locations and materials needed by the agency's inspectors. The resolution against the Islamic Republic and the international reactions of the United States and the European Troika regarding the expansion of Iran's 'non-peaceful' nuclear program are significant as the dollar has crossed 70,000 tomans; the shadow of nuclear tensions looms in the market. There is a dual approach to nuclear issues; from Larijani's green light to Kamalvandi's threats. The new position of the Islamic Republic for 'agreement with the United States' was announced by Ali Larijani. The condemnation of the Islamic Republic in the IAEA Board of Governors resolution emphasizes the U.S. cooperation with the European Troika regarding the Iranian government's nuclear program.