European Union diplomats trying to break the deadlock over the Iran nuclear deal are offering Tehran important new concessions aimed at ending a U.N. investigation into its activities immediately, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Nuclear is the past.
The main sticking point in the 16-month negotiations to revive the 2015 deal, which imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, is the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) investigation into undeclared nuclear material discovered in Iran. It was in 2019.
Israel and Western officials claim the materials are evidence Iran once had a secret nuclear weapons program, something Tehran has long denied, saying it was only interested in a civilian nuclear program.
The New York Times newspaper reported on Tuesday, quoting informed sources, that Iran withdrew from the two main demands in the negotiations to revive the nuclear agreement and demanded a new condition for signing the agreement.
Iran has ignored the request to remove the Revolutionary Guards from the list of terrorist organizations of the United States and has also given up its demands that the future president of the United States does not withdraw from the JCPOA.
In return, Iran demanded a new condition that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) drop a three-year investigation into enriched uranium at various Iranian facilities, including some that Tehran does not allow UN inspectors to visit. . York Times.
The Wall Street Journal says that in the nuclear talks, Iran has been trying to end the probe since at least March. Meanwhile, U.S. and European officials have said they will not negotiate an investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency, an independent watchdog they say has nothing to do with the nuclear deal.
The draft text of the EU proposal, seen by The Wall Street Journal, urges Iran to “address IAEA concerns before the deal enters into force” and says Iran is expected to respond to the agency’s questions “with a view to clarification.” . .
The text states that if Tehran cooperates, the United States and other parties to the dialogue will ask the International Atomic Energy Agency Council to shut down the investigation.
The EU team, which is chairing the talks and is responsible for drafting the agreement, said this is the final text it will present to revive the nuclear deal.
This newspaper says that if all the countries involved in the nuclear agreement, i.e. the United States, Iran, Germany, France, England, Russia and China, agree to the proposed text, it will put the International Atomic Energy Agency in a quandary. position, because in this case the implementation of the agreement depends to a large extent on its (Agency’s) assessment of Tehran’s cooperation.
A spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency declined to comment for this newspaper, and the agency’s chief, Raphael Grossi, has vowed not to stop investigating until Iran finds out where the nuclear material is and where it is coming from.
Months after the start of indirect talks between the US and Iran brokered by the European Union on a possible return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that was scrapped by former US President Donald Trump, the European Union has presented a final offer for the two sides to make before a permanent collapse. Negotiations, check it. The New York Times quoted Western officials.
On August 3, the United States, the European Union, and Iran announced the return of their negotiators to Vienna to resume talks aimed at reviving the deal.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “What can be negotiated has been negotiated and is now in the final text. But behind every technical issue and every paragraph is a political decision to be made in capitals.” be.”
US officials have long warned that time is running out for a deal.
On Monday, the spokesperson of the US State Department commented on the results of the negotiations of the past few days in Vienna regarding the revival of the nuclear agreement with Iran known as the “Comprehensive Joint Action Plan”.
“As the EU said two weeks ago, the text it presented at that time is the best and only basis on which an agreement can be reached,” the EU spokesperson told Al-Hurarah. The topic is addressed in further consultations to help clarify and correct any remaining questions about this text.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized: These consultations were completed today (Monday) and now we will wait for the next actions of the European Union.
The spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: Our position is clear, we are ready to quickly reach an agreement based on the proposals of the European Union, I will not speculate on Iran’s position, they say many times that we are ready. Returning to the mutual implementation of the JCPOA. As the EU coordinator made clear, this text is the only possible basis for doing so. Let’s see if their (Iranian) actions match their words.”
The Wall Street Journal says the International Atomic Energy Agency’s investigation into Iran is based on the agency’s core responsibilities, which is to ensure that nuclear material in its member states is not diverted for military purposes.
He added: This issue is very sensitive for Iran, and Iran has denied its nuclear weapons program for a long time. Many Western officials believe that the undeclared material is due to Iran’s work on its nuclear weapons program, which continued until at least 2003.
According to this newspaper, if Iran does not cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the agency can send the investigation to the UN Security Council.
Source: Lebanon Debate
