Zarif: We are ready to reach an agreement by the anniversary of the revolution if the other side is prepared

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, described negotiations with his American counterpart John Kerry on Monday, January 29, as 'frank and serious,' stating, 'The negotiations have become complex, and we have entered into details. If the other side is ready, we are prepared to reach a conclusion by February, the anniversary of the victory of the revolution.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Zarif spoke a day after the conclusion of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group in Geneva, Switzerland, noting that 'the generalities in the negotiations have now been clarified.' He added, 'The principle of enrichment, the necessity of lifting sanctions, and maintaining Iran's nuclear program have been accepted by all.' Iran and the P5+1 have extended the negotiation deadline for the second time until July. Zarif indicated that discussions in the coming months would focus on details, stating, 'In international negotiations, the difficulties always lie in the details.' He mentioned that in details, for instance regarding centrifuges or similar matters, specialists might spend hours and days using computer programs and modeling various options. He reiterated Tehran's past positions on nuclear negotiations, saying, 'The other side must accept that if it wants to reach a negotiated solution with Iran, it must abandon the policy of pressure. They cannot negotiate and apply pressure at the same time.' While expressing hope for achieving a 'result in due time,' Zarif described the negotiations as 'difficult,' stating that the issue has become clear and that they are currently negotiating only about mechanisms. In another part of his remarks regarding the next round of negotiations, he mentioned the possibility of holding a brief meeting with some of his counterparts from the P5+1 countries on the sidelines of the Davos summit in Switzerland. He added that there is a possibility of holding another round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 on the sidelines of the Munich conference, which will take place after the Davos summit. Meanwhile, according to the ISNA news agency, Abbas Araqchi, Deputy Foreign Minister and senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, stated that the next round of negotiations will take place in early February, within two to three weeks. However, he noted that the exact time and location of the next round of negotiations will be announced in due course. According to IRNA, Zarif also mentioned that negotiators from China, Russia, and France provided good proposals and opinions in the previous negotiations, adding, 'Informally, some documents have also been exchanged between the parties regarding existing cooperation.' Regarding whether a document has been reached in the recent Iran-U.S. negotiations that they want to present to the P5+1, he said, 'Of course, we negotiate with the P5+1, and the Iran-U.S. negotiations are in line with these negotiations.' He pointed out that it is believed that Iran is discussing sanctions with the U.S., stating, 'The greatest amount of unjust sanctions against the Iranian people has been imposed by the U.S. government and its Congress, and therefore it is essential to discuss with them how to end the sanctions and address the technical details.' Zarif described the issue of sanctions against Iran as 'a tool of political conflict within the U.S.' and urged that if the U.S. wants the nuclear issue to reach a conclusion, 'it must end this game of pressure on Iran as quickly as possible because pressure will never lead to a result.' Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stated on Saturday, January 27, during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron regarding nuclear negotiations with Tehran and sanctions against Iran, 'No one wants a document that undermines our sanctions and allows Iran to secretly or gradually increase its nuclear weapon capabilities.' According to Obama, the U.S. will not allow such a thing, and if an agreement is reached, it will be thoroughly reviewed not only by members of the U.S. Congress but also by individuals who understand how the technical aspects of the nuclear program can advance. He noted that even if a nuclear agreement is reached with Tehran, and it is assured that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, there are still many issues with this country regarding state-sponsored terrorism, their statements about Israel, financing Hezbollah, and Syria. Meanwhile, on January 28, the French news agency reported that U.S. senators have begun a new effort to propose 'milder' sanctions against Iran that could avoid the President's veto or put any potential agreement to a final vote by Congress. The proposed new sanctions against Iran have been presented by Senators Robert Menendez (Democrat) and Mark Kirk (Republican) and are set to be implemented if a final agreement is not reached by July 1. This proposal comes as Barack Obama warned Congress last Friday that he would veto any bill to intensify sanctions against Iran. For this reason, senators are trying to pass a proposal that can garner more than two-thirds of the votes in the House, which would prevent the President's veto.