Mora: A Comprehensive and Verifiable Agreement is the Solution to Iran's Nuclear Program

Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, stated on Saturday, October 23, that achieving a comprehensive agreement based on tangible and fully verifiable nuclear limitations is the solution to Iran's nuclear program. Mr. Mora confirmed that on the sidelines of the 78th annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he met with Ali Bagheri Kani, the political deputy of the Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator of the Islamic Republic, as well as Abram Paley, the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, and the European parties to the JCPOA. According to him, the outcome of these meetings supports the EU's policy that achieving a comprehensive agreement based on tangible and fully verifiable nuclear limitations is the solution to Iran's nuclear program. He added that this verification would be conducted through monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to comprehensively lift sanctions and cooperate with Iran's nuclear program, allowing Tehran to have a robust and transparent nuclear industry, including in research. Enrique Mora emphasized that regardless of whether this agreement is called the JCPOA or anything else, there is no alternative to it. Meanwhile, Bagheri Kani, the political deputy of the Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator of the Islamic Republic, stated on Thursday, September 21, that during his meeting with Mr. Mora, they had 'frank discussions on many areas of Iran-EU relations, including developments related to sanctions negotiations.' He added that 'consultations will continue in the future.' A day earlier, Abram Paley had shared a photo with Enrique Mora, stating that he had a 'constructive meeting' with him. Mr. Paley added, 'We will continue to closely coordinate with our partners in Europe and around the world to address our concerns regarding Iran's nuclear program and other destabilizing behaviors of this country.' Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, also emphasized the importance of 'de-escalation' during a meeting with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and urged Tehran to reconsider its decision on September 16 to revoke the credentials of some IAEA inspectors. Earlier, Fars News Agency reported that the credentials of eight IAEA inspectors had been revoked, identifying their nationalities as French and German. Mr. Borrell emphasized that the EU strongly supports the IAEA and reiterated its firm belief in the necessity of finding a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue within the framework of the JCPOA. This comes as the three European parties to the JCPOA informed Josep Borrell in a letter that they would not lift their JCPOA sanctions on October 18 (October 26). Additionally, the European Troika and the United States had previously warned the Islamic Republic in a joint statement that if it does not resolve 'all outstanding major issues,' another resolution may be issued against it in the IAEA Board of Governors. They emphasized in their joint statement that the Islamic Republic cannot continue to neglect its legal obligations and urged Iran to 'act without delay to clarify and resolve all outstanding major issues.' The U.S., U.K., France, and Germany also supported a statement from 63 countries in the Board of Governors calling for the Islamic Republic to respond to the IAEA's inquiries. These countries backed the request from Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, for serious cooperation from the Islamic Republic to resolve outstanding nuclear issues with the agency. The Islamic Republic, claiming that its nuclear program has peaceful objectives, has ignored previous resolutions and accelerated its nuclear activities. However, Western powers argue that there is no credible civilian justification for Tehran's nuclear activities. Western diplomats have repeatedly stated that reviving the JCPOA is currently not a priority due to the suppression of peaceful protesters following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the Islamic Republic's military cooperation with Russia. The display of drones and missiles in Tehran continues as the Islamic Republic's destabilizing actions in the region persist. Germany stated: 'Our goal is to avoid the proliferation of nuclear weapons'; we will not lift sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The U.S. aligns with European partners: sanctions on the Islamic Republic's missile program will not be lifted. Qatar has also urged the Islamic Republic to cooperate with the IAEA. Grossi stated that the Islamic Republic must explain the uranium found in Varamin and Torqouzabad.