Senior European Diplomats: Let's Give Diplomacy with Iran a Chance

The foreign ministers of Britain, Germany, and France, along with the EU's chief foreign policy official, in a joint note emphasized the world's right to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's right to have a peaceful nuclear program. They called for sufficient time and opportunity to be given to the current negotiations. The joint note by Laurent Fabius, Philip Hammond, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign ministers of France, Britain, and Germany, and Federica Mogherini, the EU's chief foreign policy official, was published on January 21 in the Washington Post. They first referred to the interim agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group in Geneva. According to these four senior European diplomats, this interim agreement; first, halted the progress of the most sensitive parts of Iran's nuclear program, including Iran's suspension of high-enriched uranium enrichment. Second, the international community gained better access to this country's nuclear facilities to determine whether Tehran is adhering to its commitments. Third, the negotiating countries found an opportunity to work towards a long-term agreement. According to Ms. Mogherini and Messrs. Steinmeier, Fabius, and Hammond, such progress would not have been possible without international consensus on the nuclear threat posed by Iran, and the global community brought Tehran to the negotiating table through a series of sanctions. Their reference to threats relates to suspicions raised by the UN Security Council and the West regarding the military nature of Tehran's nuclear program, which Iranian officials have repeatedly denied, stating that their nuclear program has peaceful objectives. European and EU diplomats say: Our destination is clear. We want a comprehensive solution that respects the Iranian people's right to have a peaceful nuclear program while allowing the global community to ensure that Tehran will not acquire nuclear weapons. Federica Mogherini, Laurent Fabius, Philip Hammond, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier in their joint note state that there are still tough challenges ahead, and sensitive differences between Iran and the international community must be resolved; 'That is why we have extended the negotiations.' They emphasized that if Iran does not fulfill its commitments or becomes indifferent to a comprehensive agreement, pressures will increase. At the same time, all four have said that for the first time an opportunity has arisen to peacefully resolve one of the world's longest security threats; 'We have a historic opportunity that may never be repeated. While the world is watching us, we must demonstrate our commitment to diplomacy to work towards resolving the Iranian nuclear issue within the designated timeframe. This is the safest way to achieve a comprehensive and lasting solution that can make the world and the region safer.' This note comes as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently described the ongoing nuclear negotiations as 'beneficial and serious' and emphasized that the chances of reaching an agreement with Tehran remain. The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group; the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany, took place last week in Geneva. These talks were accompanied by bilateral negotiations between Tehran and Washington and several meetings between Mohammad Javad Zarif and John Kerry.