Zarif: We Have Reached Very Fine Details in Nuclear Negotiations

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated on Wednesday, March 18, that "we have reached very fine details in the nuclear negotiations, and there is always a need for work on the details." After a bilateral meeting with his American counterpart John Kerry, Zarif expressed that there is no need for the foreign ministers of other global powers to be present in the negotiations in Switzerland. According to the state news agency IRNA, he commented on reaching a political understanding or agreement, saying: "We must reach a solution; the discussion of agreement and understanding comes when we have documented these solutions, and for documenting the solutions, we need more experts than ministers." Zarif added: "It is unlikely that the nuclear negotiations will continue with the presence of the foreign ministers of the 1+5 in Lausanne, Switzerland. They may come, but at this stage, I doubt it is necessary." He stated: "The time for this round of negotiations is until Friday, but if necessary, we will stay longer." The negotiations between Iran and the U.S. in Lausanne, Switzerland, aimed at reaching an understanding on the framework of a final agreement regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program continued on Wednesday. The Associated Press reported that Ali Akbar Salehi met again with Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, and it is expected that after that, John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign ministers of the U.S. and Iran, will also join these discussions. The Lausanne negotiations are a continuation of a four-month effort by Iran and the 5+1 group members, including Russia, the U.S., China, France, the U.K., and Germany, to achieve a framework for a comprehensive final agreement, with a deadline set for April 10. If this understanding or political agreement is reached, negotiators have until July to finalize the agreement with all its details. Republicans, who hold the majority in the U.S. Congress, oppose a "bad deal" between the U.S. and Iran. Marzieh Afkham, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, also stated on Wednesday that the negotiations are at a "sensitive stage" and that the negotiating team has difficult days ahead. She said: "Many technical issues have been resolved, and political discussions are still ongoing." The White House also stated yesterday that the likelihood of an agreement with Iran is still at 50 percent. Meanwhile, the first vice president of Iran stated that they will "definitely bring these negotiations to a conclusion." According to the state news agency IRNA, Eshaq Jahangiri said on Wednesday: "We have started a path with motivation that we will definitely bring to a conclusion." He added: "We will make our efforts, but if they do not misbehave, I believe the negotiations will reach a conclusion." Just a day earlier, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, stated in Switzerland: "90 percent of technical issues have been resolved." According to Hannah Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda in Lausanne, two challenges have been identified as the main knots in the ongoing negotiations that negotiators are trying to find solutions for. In the technical discussion, as stated by Ali Akbar Salehi, there remains one contentious issue. Analysts identify this technical issue as related to research and development, specifically how Iran will act during the duration of a potential comprehensive agreement, particularly regarding development. Issues such as testing and installing advanced centrifuges are raised in this context. The second knot concerns the method of lifting sanctions. The issue of lifting sanctions, which is one of the ultimate goals of reaching a comprehensive agreement, is currently tied to the United Nations Security Council, where Iran is seeking the adoption of a comprehensive resolution in this regard using Chapter VII of the UN Charter. This chapter has been used in the adoption of previous resolutions against Iran, and it is unclear how far the 5+1 is willing to accommodate all of Iran's requests in this resolution.