Steinmeier: Iran's Nuclear Negotiations Have Entered a 'Decisive' Phase

The German Foreign Minister stated that Iran's nuclear negotiations have entered a 'decisive' phase and that the parties should seize this opportunity. His Iranian counterpart also described these negotiations as an opportunity for achieving peace and security. According to reports from French and German news agencies, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a joint press conference with Walter Steinmeier held on Thursday, January 25, in Berlin, stated: 'We have wasted 11 years, and the situation has not improved. Therefore, we must use this opportunity to achieve justice, peace, and security.' The Iranian Foreign Minister then referred to Germany's role in the nuclear negotiations and expressed confidence that with Germany's participation, this goal can be achieved. The French news agency's report from this conference indicated that the German Foreign Minister emphasized that the nuclear negotiations have entered a 'decisive' phase and that the parties must take advantage of this opportunity. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, referring to the seven-month extension of the nuclear talks, said: 'We must now make use of this newly acquired time. We must spare no effort to reach a solution this time after years.' He stated that Iran's pathways to obtaining nuclear weapons must be permanently blocked without any doubt or ambiguity, and in return, sanctions will certainly be lifted. The German Foreign Minister concluded by saying: 'We have extended the interim agreement [Geneva] twice, but in the last meeting, we also agreed that negotiations cannot be extended indefinitely.' The next round of negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 group, consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany, will take place starting January 28. In the meantime, Iran is also conducting bilateral negotiations with the United States, which began on Wednesday with a meeting between Mohammad Javad Zarif and John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Hana Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda in Geneva, the Iranian and American negotiating teams, led by Abbas Araghchi and Wendy Sherman, the deputy foreign ministers of the two countries, met on Thursday in two sessions, morning and afternoon. She reported that the morning negotiations took place from 11 AM until around 2 PM, and the Iranian and American delegations returned to the negotiating table at 4 PM, continuing until about 8:30 PM. Our reporter also quoted a member of the Iranian delegation stating that in the bilateral negotiations with the U.S., 'all matters from centrifuges and research and development to the important issue of sanctions are being discussed.' This Iranian official also responded to a question from Radio Farda about the possibility of the parties reaching a political agreement by the end of Esfand, stating that he 'hopes that even before Esfand, this agreement can be reached despite the persisting differences.' He also emphasized Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks about the necessity of presenting new and comprehensive proposals and stated that 'the other side should not insist on repeating previous positions.' The bilateral negotiations between Iran and the U.S. will continue on Friday, January 26, starting at 10 AM. In this context, Zarif and Kerry are likely to meet again in Paris on Friday. The discussions between Zarif and Kerry continued until late Wednesday night. Larijani announced a proposal by representatives to increase the level of enrichment. 'Iran seeks the complete lifting of EU sanctions in the early stages after the agreement.'