Takhteh-Ravanchi: Only a Couple of Fundamental Disagreements Remain

A senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team says that the disagreements in the Islamic Republic's nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 group have become 'very few' and only 'one or two fundamental issues' remain. According to the state news agency IRNA, Majid Takhteh-Ravanchi, a senior member of the Iranian team, on Wednesday, April 5, also deemed the prediction of reaching an agreement with the major Western countries by April 11 as 'difficult.' He added: 'In the negotiations, we have seen that countries have adjusted their positions, the disagreements have been greatly reduced, but there are one or two fundamental issues that we hope will also be resolved.' Mr. Takhteh-Ravanchi did not refer to the nature of the remaining disagreements between Iran and the P5+1 countries, but stated that if the other side wants the negotiations to succeed, they must set aside their 'sanction policies.' Reports indicate that the immediate lifting of sanctions is one of Iran's demands in the negotiations with the P5+1 group. Meanwhile, the Fars news agency also mentioned on Wednesday that the lifting of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council is 'one of the main unresolved issues' between the parties, noting that Joshua Black, the sanctions officer of the U.S. delegation at the UN, has also been added to the U.S. negotiating team for the upcoming talks. According to reports, the United States is seeking a gradual lifting of sanctions in exchange for consistent performance from Tehran. On the other hand, France is calling for a 'symbolic' lifting of sanctions that have been imposed on Tehran over the years. Furthermore, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has stated that the lifting of sanctions must be 'part of the nuclear negotiation' with the P5+1 countries and must be without any delay from the agreement. Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, on Wednesday commented on the Supreme Leader's statements, saying that the government has insisted on this view in the nuclear negotiations from the beginning. The Supreme Leader had also mentioned on July 7, 2014, that 'enrichment capacity,' 'research and development,' and 'Fordow facilities' are three important issues in Iran's nuclear bargaining with the P5+1. This comes as the issue of reducing Iran's nuclear activities for a period of 10 years has been raised in recent months. Additionally, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Thursday, March 5, 2015, stated that the Islamic Republic might accept a proposal to limit its nuclear activities for 10 years. The number of advanced centrifuges has also been declared as one of the most important issues in the negotiations between Iran and the six major global powers. While Iran insists on continuing research and development of centrifuges, Western countries believe that Iran's ability to research and build advanced centrifuges reduces the preparation period for producing nuclear weapons to less than a year. The Iranian nuclear negotiating team is set to travel to Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon to begin a new round of negotiations. After several days of negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, the U.S. State Department announced on Friday, March 20, that the continuation of negotiations with the Islamic Republic has been postponed to Wednesday, April 5, 2015.