Russia and the U.S. Call for a Quick Agreement Between Iran and the 1+5 Group

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, and John Kerry, his American counterpart, called for a swift agreement between Iran and the negotiating countries in nuclear talks on Wednesday, November 21. According to AFP, following a conversation between Lavrov and Kerry, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that "the necessity of reaching a comprehensive agreement to normalize the status of Iran's nuclear program has been confirmed by both countries." Kerry and Lavrov spoke after the major powers' negotiations with Iran held in Muscat, Oman, and speculation about the possibility of not reaching an agreement in the final negotiations on November 24. The goal of the Western countries in these negotiations is to reduce concerns about Tehran's nuclear activities and possibly ease economic sanctions against Iran. On Tuesday, Russia signed a contract to build two nuclear reactors at the Bushehr power plant with Iran and stated that it has plans to construct a total of nine reactors. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that a senior Russian diplomat expressed optimism on Wednesday that despite "significant gaps" on some issues, Iran and the major powers could reach an agreement in the negotiations this month (November 24). Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that his country would not spare any effort to reach an agreement with Iran and alleviate the international community's concerns about Tehran's nuclear programs. Iran and the six major powers, including five permanent members of the UN Security Council along with Germany, have a deadline until November 24 to reach an agreement. This agreement would lead to the easing of economic sanctions against Iran. The Russian news agency Interfax quoted Ryabkov, who was present at the Muscat negotiations, saying: "We do not consider the possibility of not reaching an agreement by November 24 as a probability. We are focused on our goal. In the current situation, there is an opportunity for us, and we do not want to miss it." Historically, Russia has warmer relations with Tehran compared to Western countries. Iran claims that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes. One of the major Western concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programs is the capacity for uranium enrichment and the time it would take for the country to acquire the technology to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has confirmed that by testing a new centrifuge, it can increase the speed of uranium enrichment but has also stated that this technology does not violate Iran's commitments made last year with world powers. Reuters reported that analysts noted that despite the optimism from the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, the Muscat negotiations did not yield promising results. Ryabkov concluded the negotiations by saying: "The main obstacle in the negotiations is the inability of all parties to establish a bridge to resolve contentious issues such as enrichment and sanctions." Meanwhile, U.S. State Department officials stated on Tuesday that "a lot of work remains to be done," and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he is not in a position to "say that progress has been made." An agreement in the nuclear negotiations is considered a significant success in foreign policy for U.S. President Barack Obama and would provide Iran with a guarantee for easing economic sanctions.