Salehi Joins Iran's Nuclear Negotiating Team in Vienna

According to a report from Radio Farda's correspondent in Vienna, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization, along with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, will travel to Vienna on Tuesday, July 9, to participate in nuclear negotiations. Hanaa Kavyani, the correspondent, reported that Iranian officials had stated in recent days that Salehi's presence in the negotiations would be beneficial if his health permits. Analysts in Vienna say this is important not only from a technical standpoint of Iran's nuclear program but also that Salehi's close ties to the Supreme Leader could aid in the acceptance of any comprehensive agreement among various power factions. This comes after Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization, had dismissed the possibility of Salehi's participation in this round of negotiations. According to ISNA, Kamalvandi stated, 'Currently, there is no plan for his trip to Vienna and participation in the Iran-1+5 negotiations.' Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Tuesday that besides Salehi, Hossein Fereydoun, the brother of the Iranian President, will also accompany Zarif to Vienna. Zarif returned to Tehran on Sunday for consultations with Islamic Republic officials and is scheduled to return to Vienna on Tuesday, June 30, coinciding with the expiration of the deadline for reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement. Reports indicate that these negotiations are likely to continue a few days after this deadline. Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, stated on Tuesday that nuclear negotiations with Iran in Vienna will continue after Tuesday. French Foreign Minister also mentioned that during the discussions on Sunday, it was decided that talks would continue after the June 30 deadline, waiting to address all unanswered questions. He added that no new deadline has been set for concluding the nuclear negotiations with Iran and warned that if this agreement is not 'very strong and effective,' other countries in the Middle East may pursue nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press, Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, told reporters, 'Progress has been made, but we have not yet reached the end of this process.' He emphasized that all parties involved in these negotiations adhere to the principle that 'until everything is agreed upon, no agreement has been reached.' Fabius stated that the foreign ministers of the seven participating countries are expected to return to Vienna this week for continued discussions. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, will travel to Vienna on Tuesday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Fabius, who appears to have a hardline stance in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, stated on Tuesday that three essential conditions must be met. The first issue is limiting nuclear production and research in Iran, where 'progress has been made, but a complete agreement has not been reached.' The second issue is that the International Atomic Energy Agency must be able to evaluate and confirm the implementation of the agreement's provisions. If a final agreement is reached at the end of these negotiations, some international sanctions against Iran will be lifted. However, if the terms of the final agreement are not practically implemented, a mechanism for 'rapid return to previous conditions' is in place, and sanctions may be automatically reinstated. Fabius added, 'The Iranian side has specific questions regarding the implementation of sanctions relief and other matters, and we are negotiating on these issues.' He mentioned that the six global powers—Russia, China, the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany—also have questions but did not provide further details on this matter. In response to a question about whether China and Russia would waive their veto rights in the Security Council in the event of a breach of the agreement and automatic reinstatement of sanctions, Fabius stated, 'Our cooperation with Russia and China in this regard is very good.' The French Foreign Minister repeatedly emphasized that any agreement at the end of these discussions must be 'very serious and strong.' Fabius added, 'If this agreement is not serious and strong enough, other countries in the Middle East will seek to develop nuclear weapons, which would be very dangerous for the region and the entire world.'