Zarif: Nuclear Negotiations Have Approached a Critical Stage

Iran's Foreign Minister says that negotiations regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and activities made "serious progress" last week and have approached "sensitive stages." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized the principle of "all or nothing," which he claims was also referenced in the Geneva agreement, adding that "there is no agreement until we reach consensus on all issues." On Saturday, March 9, he stated that there was "significant progress" in the technical aspects of the bilateral nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States last week, but differences remain in "other nuclear areas" and sanctions. He added, "We hope to achieve progress in other topics this week, especially in lifting sanctions; if so, we will draft it into a comprehensive and precise agreement. This is our operational plan to reach an agreement." Zarif stressed that "nuclear negotiations have approached their critical stages and we have had detailed discussions." Iran and the U.S. held four days of intensive negotiations from Friday to Monday last week, where for the first time, the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization also engaged in discussions alongside the foreign ministers of both countries. Iranian officials have assessed this round of negotiations positively, including Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, who previously stated that "significant progress" has been made. A senior U.S. official also told Reuters on Friday, March 8, that negotiations to resolve the Islamic Republic's nuclear dispute have made fundamental and significant progress, but difficult issues remain, and no agreement is expected next week. Reports indicate that next week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will negotiate with Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, in Montreux, Switzerland. In recent weeks, following the Supreme Leader's remarks, Iranian government officials have emphasized a one-stage agreement with the P5+1 countries. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had called for "an agreement on the generalities and details in one stage with clear and unambiguous provisions" on February 8, but hours after these remarks, John Kerry stated that any extension of nuclear negotiations with Iran after April 4 is off the table unless the framework and outline of the agreement are specified by then. The Iran nuclear talks with the six world powers must lead to a political agreement by March 31, and both sides will have until the end of June to prepare for a final and comprehensive understanding. On Saturday, Zarif also stated, "We have repeatedly emphasized that sanctions have not been useful for achieving any goal, and the U.S. and other countries must realize that sanctions are not a solution but an obstacle. If this perspective is established, we are ready to reach a comprehensive agreement." The immediate lifting of all Western sanctions against Iran has been declared as one of Iran's demands in the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 countries. Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on Thursday evening, March 7, referring to Western sanctions against Iran, said, "The enemy today wields a sword in the dark that may strike someone, and today we are negotiating to grip its wrist and pressure it to drop this sword." At the same time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted on February 18 that international sanctions against Iran would remain even if a nuclear agreement is reached.