Trust's Account of Negotiations; 'Finalization of the Agreement Text'

The newspaper Etemad reported on its front page on July 6 that 'the parentheses of the agreement text have been closed,' and that 'the drafting of the main agreement text and four appendices has been completed,' with 'final negotiations now focusing on the technical appendix and the text of the Security Council resolution.' Majid Takht-Ravanchi, a member of the Iranian negotiating team, emphasized in an interview with Shargh newspaper that 'there is no deadline from our perspective.' Shargh also reported on its front page that 'on the verge of conclusion,' stating: 'The marathon seems endless. No matter how fast they run, the finish line keeps moving further away. Not only in Vienna, where nuclear negotiations are taking place, is everyone looking for answers to the question of when these convoluted negotiations will end, but even Tehran is caught up in this question.' The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, featured a photo of Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Salehi at the 'Night of Qadr' ceremony at Imam Ali Mosque in Vienna, stating: 'Zarif and his colleagues showcased their calmness to the Western side by attending the Imam Ali Mosque revival ceremony.' This newspaper reported that 'the Iranian team has stated that it will not sacrifice a good agreement for time, but differences within the 1+5 group have resurfaced.' Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, harshly criticized recent statements by Hassan Rouhani regarding 'the peace of Imam Hassan' and Ali Larijani's remarks condemning critics of the negotiations. The newspaper Iran reported on the ongoing construction at the historical site of Eshratabad, stating that the legal and parliamentary affairs deputy of the IRGC said that work would only stop if 'the General Staff of the Armed Forces orders it to.' The newspaper Shahre Vahdat reported a 'drop in currency and gold prices,' noting: 'As the likelihood of reaching a nuclear agreement has increased, Iran's markets are in a frenzy over the publication of its results, but this time the market changes are different from previous occasions, and there is no news of rising prices.' This newspaper described what it called 'controlled excitement in the market,' stating: 'Currency and coin exchange dealers on Tuesday set the price of each US dollar at 3,282 tomans, down by 25 tomans, marking the third time this week that the dollar rate has fallen, while the euro also decreased by 30 tomans to 3,630 tomans, witnessing a reduction in the average price difference between the dollar and euro to about 400 tomans again.' According to Shahre Vahdat, 'in the gold and coin market, the decline in buyers' and sellers' interest is evident, and expectations for the future are apparent. However, on the other side of Tehran, around Mirdamad, the Central Bank raised the exchange rate of the dollar, reducing the price difference between free and state currencies to its lowest level in recent months.' Hossein Marashi, a member of the Kargozaran Sazandegi Party, stated in an interview with Etemad regarding 'the strategy of unity among reformists and moderates' in the upcoming parliamentary elections, saying: 'We seek to repair our bond with the ruling system.' The newspaper Abrar featured a photo of Hamid Rasai, a representative close to the Stability Front, reporting that he traveled to Helsinki, Finland, 'to promote Islam.' Etemad's account of the negotiations indicates the end of the drafting of the agreement text and negotiations over the Security Council resolution. Etemad reported that 'the parentheses of the agreement text have been closed,' and that 'the drafting of the main agreement text and four appendices has been completed,' with 'final negotiations now focusing on the technical appendix and the text of the Security Council resolution.' Sara Masoumi, Etemad's reporter from Vienna, reported the 'end of negotiations among experts and political managers,' stating: 'After a month and a half of negotiations between Iranian experts and the 1+5, the appendices have been handed over to political managers for major decision-making.' Etemad quoted a 'source close to the Iranian negotiating team' stating: 'Experts have completed the appendices. The remaining parentheses in the five appendices have been addressed by political managers in their intensive sessions. As of the moment this news was prepared, four out of five appendices have been resolved, with only one technical appendix remaining that is being discussed simultaneously in the meetings of foreign ministers and in several-hour sessions between Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, and Ernest Moniz, the US Secretary of Energy.' The newspaper noted the resolution of the issue of the simultaneity of actions between Iran and the 1+5, stating: 'One of the main knots that was said to have prevented reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement was the issue of the simultaneity of actions by both parties. It seems that this knot has been resolved in recent days, and the parentheses game in the text has not taken place.' 'An informed source,' whose name was not disclosed, told Etemad: 'In recent days, we have not focused much time on this issue. Both sides have agreed that whenever Iran begins to fulfill its commitments based on the agreed plan, the US and Europe must also begin to lift sanctions, and simultaneously with the completion of Iran's commitments, they must also implement the process of lifting sanctions completely. From our perspective, the issue of the simultaneity of actions by both sides has been resolved.' Etemad's reporter in Vienna emphasized that 'the pulse of the agreement in Vienna has quickened,' reporting that 'a repetitive sentence can still be heard from the negotiators of all countries: We are here to reach an agreement, but not at any cost.' The newspaper stated: 'Alongside the political and technical negotiations to reach the finalized text of the comprehensive nuclear agreement along with its five appendices, the Iranian and 1+5 negotiating teams have also begun working on the text of the Security Council resolution, which must be finalized a few days after the agreement is reached.' Etemad quoted 'an informed source' stating: 'Work on this text is still ongoing and has not yet been finalized. There are still unresolved issues remaining. This resolution must be presented to the Security Council after the nuclear agreement is reached, and therefore its text must first be prepared by Iran and the five main member countries of this council and agreed upon by all.' The newspaper noted reports about the possibility of extending negotiations, stating: 'One of the scenarios that could be likely is the failure to reach an agreement by July 7. Iran and the 1+5 say they will make every effort to conclude by the end of today, but if an agreement is not reached in the next 48 hours, they will still dedicate more time to negotiations. However, no one knows whether this time will extend the current round of negotiations or if it will resume after a few days' break, and despite all this, an informed source in this regard said: Our preference is to continue this round until we reach an agreement and not to interrupt the negotiations.' Etemad noted that 'currently, John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, has spent the last 11 days in Vienna, and it seems that if negotiations do not conclude by July 9, the head of US diplomacy will not be able to dedicate more days to being in Vienna.' Majid Takht-Ravanchi: From our perspective, there is no deadline. Majid Takht-Ravanchi, a member of the Iranian negotiating team, emphasized in an interview with Shargh newspaper that 'there is no deadline from our perspective.' Takht-Ravanchi stated: 'From our perspective, there is no deadline. Due to the agreement we previously made, we had a deadline that expired a few days ago. In that deadline, we wanted to see if we could reach an understanding by the end of June, that is, July 1. Since that date has passed, we have continued negotiations, and we are currently negotiating seriously, and from our perspective, there is no specific deadline.' This member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, however, noted: 'Of course, from the perspective of some of the countries we are negotiating with, there may be a deadline, either officially or unofficially, but we have no such deadline. What matters to us is to reach a good agreement,' but 'the truth is that if we do not reach a good agreement, we will not let ourselves be trapped by time. For us, the content of the agreement is what matters, and when it ends is a secondary issue.' Takht-Ravanchi stated that 'we have made good progress during this recent period. We have discussed various topics, and some issues that we thought would be very difficult to resolve a while ago are now seen as almost resolved.' He said: 'In both areas, namely the nuclear issue and the sanctions issue, we have made good progress.' The Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran told Shargh that in both the nuclear and sanctions issues, 'some work is still pending. There was news that the sanctions issue was resolved. Several people asked us, and we told them it is not true and incorrect. It does not proceed like this, as our sessions are parallel. It is not that we want to start the sanctions discussion, finish it, set it aside, and then come to the nuclear discussion. These two topics also have various branches. We have been advancing them in parallel for several months now. Overall, good progress has been made on both topics. Several key issues remain that we need to see if we can resolve.' The newspaper Shargh also reported on its front page on Tuesday titled 'On the Verge of Conclusion,' stating: 'The marathon seems endless. No matter how fast they run, the finish line keeps moving further away. Not only in Vienna, where nuclear negotiations are taking place, is everyone looking for answers to the question of when these convoluted negotiations will end, but even Tehran is caught up in this question.' Zeynab Ismaili, a reporter from Shargh in Vienna, noted that 'the rumor of continuing negotiations until Friday, July 9, although it had been raised since Sunday, also appeared on the wires of some news agencies on Tuesday,' and 'both sides seem to be looking for an excuse to push the finish line further away. News sources report progress in negotiations, but they do not ignore the remaining issues and their impact on negotiations.' The newspaper pointed out that 'another aspect of these deadlines is the limitations of the US government created by a new congressional resolution,' stating: 'If the agreement is communicated to Congress by July 9, they have 30 days to approve or reject the agreement; otherwise, the time will increase to about two months.' One member close to the Iranian negotiating team told Shargh: 'If an agreement is not reached by July 9, only a 30-day delay will occur in the approval of the agreement. However, he conditions this on the negotiating teams not leaving the negotiating table and returning home.' Attack on Rouhani and Larijani by Kayhan. Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, harshly criticized recent statements by Hassan Rouhani regarding 'the peace of Imam Hassan' and Ali Larijani's remarks condemning critics of the negotiations in the editorial of Kayhan. The editorial writer of Kayhan referred to Rouhani's remarks during an iftar gathering with governors and deputy ministers, stating that the President compared the current conditions of our country with the era of Imam Hassan and without providing any reasons, evidence, or examples for this comparison, referred to the peace of that Imam as a model that could also be effective and helpful for our current days. The newspaper wrote: 'There is no doubt that the peace of Imam Hassan, considering the conditions of that time, was the wisest and bravest decision. However, with all due respect, the President's comparison in both aspects of 'concept' and 'example' is inappropriate and of the type of false analogy,' because 'during Imam Hassan's time, almost all the commanders of his army, through bribery and threats from Muawiya, left the Imam's camp and joined the enemy, while on the other hand, the people at that time, due to ignorance and deception, abandoned him. But now, which of the commanders and leaders of the army and the IRGC has sold themselves to the enemy and left the field in favor of the opponent? Those who, if they did not consider the permission of the Supreme Leader and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces obligatory, would have attacked the enemy thousands of times by now and, as the Supreme Leader has said, are waiting for the moment to fight against the enemies.' Shariatmadari emphasized that the current conditions of the Islamic Republic 'bear the least resemblance' to the era of 'Imam Hassan,' stating that Rouhani's comparison of the current conditions of the Islamic Republic with the era of 'Imam Hassan' raises doubts that he sees the solution to the nuclear challenge as yielding to the enemy's extortion and has invoked Imam Hassan to justify it. Kayhan pointed out Larijani's remarks in Qom, where he told critics of the government and negotiations: 'If you have problems, you do not need to hide behind the leadership.' The newspaper criticized the Speaker of the Ninth Parliament, stating that citing the Supreme Leader's opinions 'in criticizing parts of the nuclear negotiations is only inappropriate when such citations do not align with realities,' but 'the opinions and guidelines of the Supreme Leader must and should be the criteria for evaluating the positions and performance of the team or the course of negotiations, and in this case, citing them is not only not reprehensible and undesirable but is a sign of following the Supreme Leader.' The editorial writer of Kayhan also wrote: 'Accusing critics of hiding behind the leadership, as stated by Mr. Larijani, is deserving of condemnation and protest and is very dangerous and misleading,' because 'the meaning and translation of this part of Mr. Larijani's remarks is that no one has the right to use the opinions of the Supreme Leader as a shield against criticism.'