Zarif Responds to Jalili's Claims: No Mention of Lifting Sanctions in Almaty

Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, rejected claims made by Saeed Jalili, former head of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, regarding the West's readiness to recognize Iran's enrichment rights and lift all sanctions during the Almaty and Istanbul negotiations. He emphasized that none of these claims are present in the documents from these meetings. On Monday, September 23, the state news agency IRNA published a detailed account of Zarif's remarks during a special commission meeting on the JCPOA, where he stated that he did not intend to respond to Jalili's comments. However, Zarif did address some of Jalili's points, stating that the West did not once declare that it would lift UN Security Council sanctions against Iran during the Almaty talks. He stressed that in the Istanbul negotiations, the West proposed lifting sanctions on a 'step-by-step' basis in exchange for 'fundamental actions' from Iran, with the highest proposal being the lifting of oil sanctions. Following the JCPOA commission meeting, Zarif also called for the documents related to Jalili's claims to be presented, expressing a desire to see them and disappointment over missed opportunities. Jalili had previously claimed that during the second round of nuclear negotiations in Istanbul, the U.S. 'retreated from the red line of enrichment and the nuclear rights of the Islamic Republic.' He also stated that at the time of handing over the nuclear file to Hassan Rouhani's government, the opposing side had declared its practical readiness for a nuclear deal and to discuss the lifting of unilateral sanctions. Jalili mentioned that after the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, some sanctions, such as those on SWIFT and fuel supply to ships and cargo planes, would not even be suspended for eight more years, let alone lifted. In response, Zarif emphasized that all economic, financial, and monetary sanctions from the EU and the U.S. that apply to non-American entities would be 'lifted' on the day the Vienna nuclear agreement is implemented. According to Zarif, based on the Vienna nuclear agreement, Iran will voluntarily implement the Additional Protocol to the NPT for eight years without parliamentary approval, and the U.S. will present a bill to Congress for lifting sanctions after eight years. Zarif also noted that the U.S. President is 'committed' to continuously avoid enforcing sanctions passed by Congress during this period. He added that this was the best approach, rather than forcing the U.S. to bring the issue to Congress, which might reject it. Jalili had also criticized the Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the 'reversibility of sanctions despite maintaining nuclear restrictions' and the '10-year retention of Iran's file in the Security Council.' In this regard, Zarif provided detailed explanations about the Security Council resolutions, stating that those who raise such concerns should be aware that past discussions exist. He noted that in Resolution 2231, it is stated that Iran has declared, 'If you restore the sanctions, I will not fulfill my commitments.' Zarif emphasized that this is significant enough that American senators acknowledged that with Iran's statement included in the resolution, the principle of reversibility was compromised. He stated that 'friends may express certain opinions, and they have the right to do so, and there is enough freedom in the current situation for everyone to say whatever they want.' According to Resolution 2231, when Iran takes the main steps to resolve its nuclear program and the agency concludes that 'all of Iran's nuclear materials are directed towards peaceful activities,' the seven previous Security Council resolutions related to Iran's sanctions will be lifted. However, the resolution also specifies that 'if one of the parties to the nuclear agreement concludes that Iran has not fulfilled its commitments, it can request the Security Council to vote on the continuation of the lifting of UN sanctions against Tehran, and if a permanent member vetoes the continuation of the lifting, the sanctions will automatically snap back within 30 days.' Zarif also responded to a question from Mehrdad Bazrpash, a representative from Tehran, regarding two resolutions issued against Iran during Zarif's tenure at the UN, stating that 'yes, it was during my time, but I had no role in that. Thank God I was in office and have no responsibility in that regard.' He also mentioned that the 'poor' state of the stock market is due to conditions imposed on the country over the past eight years, where 'easy money was given to some, and conditions deteriorated.' Zarif announced that Iran will specify its plan to the International Atomic Energy Agency, indicating that within 15 years it will reach 'industrial enrichment' and will 'register' its plan to reach '190,000 SWU' at a specified time. According to Zarif, the Atomic Energy Organization has been tasked with preparing this plan within the next two months.