Zarif to Attend Parliamentary Commission for 'Explanation on Lausanne Statement'

Two days after the announcement of the nuclear agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, the spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission announced that this commission has invited Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, to attend and 'provide explanations about the Lausanne statement.' According to Tasnim News Agency, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesperson for this commission, stated on Saturday, April 15, that the exact time of Mr. Zarif's presence in this commission is still unspecified. Mr. Hosseini also did not indicate what explanations the commission is seeking regarding the Lausanne nuclear agreement. The invitation for Mr. Zarif to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission comes as several members of this commission harshly criticized the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 countries in Lausanne on Friday, April 14. Continuing these criticisms, Mohammad Hossein Asafari, a member of this commission, said on Saturday that this agreement 'did not conform to the established framework and the red lines of the system. We hope the government has not been deceived.' However, another member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Avaz Heydarpoor, described the Lausanne agreement as 'nothing more than a win-win situation.' According to the House of Representatives News Agency, he added: 'The joint statement was a goal we scored, bringing a score of one to nothing for Iran, and we were the winners of these negotiations.' Yet, in further criticisms of the Lausanne agreement, Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan newspaper, reiterated his previous criticism, stating that this agreement 'made the nation bitter.' In his editorial on Saturday, Shariatmadari wrote: 'The opponent imposed its illegitimate demands on Islamic Iran, which had been left unaddressed for 12 years, through deception, placing the oversized hat of the Geneva agreement over our country's nuclear activities.' Mr. Shariatmadari criticized aspects such as Iran's commitment to refrain from 'enrichment and research and development activities related to uranium enrichment' for 'at least 15 years' at the Fordow facility and the 'oxidation' of part of its uranium reserves, adding: 'It is unclear what justification the President provided in his televised report when he informed the people about maintaining research and development in our nuclear activities?' Hassan Rouhani, the President, said on Saturday regarding the Lausanne agreement: 'With this political agreement, the 1+5 accepted that Iran could enrich within its own territory, while just yesterday they claimed that enrichment on Iranian soil was a threat to the region and the world.' On the same day, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Minister, also announced that 'none of Iran's nuclear activities will be suspended or halted.' He also stated that Iran will limit its 'enrichment process' under the Lausanne agreement with 'specific conditions' for a period of ten years. Accepting limited uranium enrichment only at the Natanz facility, converting the Fordow site into a research center, internationally redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor, transferring Iran's inactive centrifuges to storage, reducing uranium reserves, and regular monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency are among Iran's commitments under the Lausanne agreement. Hours after the nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers in Lausanne, Switzerland, Hossein Shariatmadari had also criticized this agreement, saying: 'We have given away the saddled horse and received a torn bridle in return.' These criticisms come as Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in Parliament, considered the outcome of the Lausanne meeting as 'the beginning of a new phase of the Islamic Revolution.' He added: 'I hope the signing of the final agreement will also be in favor of the Iranian nation and create economic prosperity in the country, as I believe a new position for the Islamic Republic of Iran will emerge in the world.' This parliament member emphasized that there should be avenues for criticism of the results of the Lausanne meeting, while also stating: 'Unfortunately, some criticisms made are not fair and may have more political aspects.' According to the agreement between Iran and the 5+1 countries in Lausanne, the European Union will end economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program, and the United States will also halt the implementation of secondary financial and economic sanctions related to the nuclear issue, simultaneously with the major nuclear commitments of Iran being verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Amidst the criticisms and support from some political figures regarding the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 in Lausanne, according to reports from Iranian news agencies, people in several cities in Iran expressed their joy over this agreement by taking to the streets on the evening of Friday, April 14.