TEHRAN (Iran News) – The website of Iran’s top security body says the Europeans’ lack of initiative in the face of the Iranian team’s “groundbreaking” proposals is dragging down negotiations in Vienna.
Lead negotiator Ali Baqeri-Kani announced Thursday that Iran has submitted two proposed drafts to the other parties concerning the removal of U.S. sanctions and Tehran’s nuclear commitments and is about to put forward a third draft.
European and Iranian officials were quoted as saying that a formal meeting in a format known as the Joint Commission would be held on Friday to decide on the continuation of the negotiation process.
“In the third document to be presented to the other parties, Iran will state its views and proposals with regard to the verification period of removing sanctions,” Nour News, which is affiliated to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), cited Baqeri-Kani as saying.
“The presentation of two documents on the removal of sanctions and nuclear activities by the Iranian delegation and the plan to put forward a third document is a clear and firm proof that Iran has not only entered the Vienna negotiation process by sending a full team of experts, but it has also foreseen all the necessary arrangements for pursuing constructive and result-oriented negotiations by presenting groundbreaking initiatives,” it wrote.
“This is important because the Western side of the P4+1 group, which is following Washington’s will, has concentrated on a blame game launched even before the start of this round of talks and by relying on heavy psychological operations, it has made every effort to blame Iran for a possible disagreement because it lacks the willpower to reach an agreement,” it added.
According to Nour News, the Western countries which were adamantly pressing for initial drafts in the previous six rounds of negotiations have not put any initiative on the negotiating table and practically slowed down the negotiation process.
“It should be noted that although Iran has stated from the beginning that achieving a good agreement will not be sacrificed for speed in the negotiations, the unpreparedness of the European parties has practically slowed down the negotiation process for no reason and paralyzed the way forward,” it said.
The stalled talks resumed on Monday after a months-long hiatus, during which a new government took over in Tehran.
Iran has maintained that the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the Iran nuclear deal is called, would require the U.S. to remove its sanctions on Tehran.
Besides Iran, the remaining parties to the deal – Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany – have sent their representatives to Vienna for the talks.
On Friday, reports said the Europeans wanted to return to their capitals for consultations after four days of negotiations.
“Given the unwillingness of the Western parties to advance professional, groundbreaking and outcome-oriented negotiations, it seems that we must, as in the past, anticipate an escalation in their blame game against Iran,” Nour News said.
Meanwhile Bagheri Kani said on Thursday that a third draft had not been submitted yet in addition to the two drafts presented to the opposing parties in JCPOA on Wednesday night.
In response to the question that in the two drafts presented by Iran to the other parties, whether sanctions will be lifted step by step or they are going to be removed altogether, he clarified, the process is not a step by step one.
Bagheri also mentioned the duration of the verification of lifting the sanctions: “Iran has prepared three drafts; the third one has not been delivered to the other side yet.”
