Mogherini: No Timeline Set for Lifting Iran Sanctions Yet

Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated that no specific timeline has been established for lifting sanctions on Iran, but this could happen soon. On Monday, January 21, after meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, she said at a press conference: "No date has been set yet. The timing (for lifting sanctions) is contingent upon the full implementation of the actions that need to be taken." She added: "I can tell you that my expectation is that this day will come very soon. The implementation of the agreement is progressing well." John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, also mentioned on January 17 that if things go well, we are only a few days away from implementing the JCPOA. Mogherini's remarks come as some Iranian officials, including the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization, have stated that "less than a week" remains until the implementation day of the JCPOA. Behrouz Kamalvandi, in an interview with the newspaper Etemad published on Monday, emphasized the proximity of the "implementation day" of the JCPOA and the "lifting of sanctions," stating: "Less than a week remains until this good news is announced to the Iranian people." The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Vienna Agreement, was reached on July 14 this year between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of U.S., EU, and UN sanctions against it. Iran claims it has sent its enriched uranium to Russia and received natural uranium in return. Tehran has also reported the dismantling of many of its centrifuges as part of the Vienna Agreement. These processes are part of Iran's commitments to implement the JCPOA and lift international sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on Monday during the inauguration of phases 15 and 16 of South Pars, stated: "From today onwards, with God's help, there will be good news for the nation, and in a few days, we will witness the end of the oppressive sanctions against the Iranian people." Meanwhile, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and America, said on Monday that "it is very difficult to predict that we can announce a specific day for the implementation of the JCPOA." According to IRNA, he added: "Iran has not announced a specific time for the beginning of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reports of delays and postponements of the implementation date are not true." Mr. Takht-Ravanchi referred to the "time-consuming" nature of Iran's actions for implementing the JCPOA, mentioning the "modernization" of the Arak heavy water reactor as one of the issues, stating: "Regarding the changes made in the Arak reactor, a document has been signed between Iran and Western countries that will serve as the basis for work, and based on it, the share of each country has been specified." Under the JCPOA, Iran has committed to redesigning the core of the Arak reactor so that it cannot be used to produce plutonium, which is applicable for military uses and the construction of nuclear bombs. The Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and America also reported the issuance of executive regulations by the EU and the U.S., stating that "these regulations are very important because they are a roadmap that economic entities will follow when sanctions are lifted." According to Takht-Ravanchi, the Iran Chamber of Commerce is set to publish the Persian text of these regulations.