The 264-page report offered detailed explanations about the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s measures regarding the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The report begins with a letter from Mohammad Javad Zarif to Chairman of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Vahid Jalalzadeh explaining the legal foundation of the report, which is the last one to be issued by Zarif in his capacity as foreign minister.

“Now, on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the JCPOA, the twenty-second and last quarterly report is presented by me as the minister of foreign affairs and the head of JCPOA’s negotiating team to the honorable representatives of the brave nation of Iran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly,” Zarif wrote to Jalalzadeh.

He added, “This report presents the most important achievements and challenges of the implementation of the JCPOA during the last six years and the latest results of the six rounds of the Vienna talks, which stand to reflect the failure of the U.S. government’s maximum pressure against the resistance of the Iranian people.”

Zarif noted, “In the last working weeks of the twelfth government, these negotiations have approached the framework of a possible agreement to lift the illegal sanctions of the United States of America, and I hope what has become achievable so far be completed at the beginning of the thirteenth government with the help of God, guidance of the Leader, management of the president-elect and the support of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.”

The JCPOA was agreed on in July 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council along with Germany, known as the P5+1. The agreement was approved by the Supreme National Security Council, the Islamic Consultative Assembly and finally by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

Iran strictly complied with the nuclear deal. However, this did not prevent the Trump administration from quitting it. In May 2018, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the JCPOA, setting off a series of confrontations with Iran.

After quitting the JCPOA the Trump administration started imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Iran. Trump piled up sanctions on Iran in a bid to force Iran into making more concessions to the U.S. within the framework of a new nuclear deal. Trump, however, failed to get his deal, bequeathing his successor a litany of unresolved issues with Iran. The Biden administration has said it wants to open a new chapter with Iran and change tack, though it is yet to make any move to break with the Trump legacy on Iran.
Since April, diplomats from the remaining parties to the JCPOA and the U.S. have held six rounds of talks in a bid to revive the deal. They made significant progress but failed to get Iran and the U.S. back to full compliance with the nuclear deal.

The sixth round was concluded nearly three weeks ago. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi, who leads the Iranian negotiating team in Vienna, issued a statement about the conclusion of the sixth round.

While stating that the sides are closer to an agreement than ever before, the deputy foreign minister expressed hope that an agreement could be reached in the next round of talks, although it could not be guaranteed.

Araqchi also called on the U.S. and Europe to make difficult decisions to revive the JCPOA.

“So far, six rounds of talks have been held with the P4+1, and we are almost close to the final stages. There is a series of issues that have been sufficiently negotiated and it is time for the countries to decide,” Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has already made tough decisions. When the United States withdrew from the JCPOA and Iran decided to stay in the JCPOA. It was Iran’s big and difficult decision that led to the preservation of the JCPOA so far. Now it is the turn of the opposing parties, and according to the negotiations we had, they must decide and reach a conclusion on the revival of the JCPOA in order to reach an agreement,” Araqchi told Iranian media after briefing lawmakers sitting on the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on the Vienna talks.

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In response to a new wave of Israeli strikes that have killed more than 200 Palestinians since last week, the senior Iranian politician has had many meetings with the speakers of parliaments in Muslim nations throughout the region and beyond.

On Tuesday, Qalibaf spoke via phone with the Speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly, Marzouq Al Ghanim, the Speaker of the Palestinian National Council, Salim Zanoun, the President of the Consultative Assembly of Oman, Sheikh Khalid bin Hilal al-Maawali, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Asad Qaiser, the Speaker of Algeria’s Council of the Nation, Salah Goudjil, the Speaker of Algeria’s Council of the Nation, Mohammed Rikan Hadeed al-Halbousi, Speaker of Iraq’s Council of Representatives, and Mustafa Sentop, Speaker of Turkey’s Grand National Assembly

During the conversations, the Iranian Parliament speaker requested meetings with the leaders of Islamic parliaments to denounce and prevent the Zionist regime’s atrocities against citizens, medical centers, and even journalists.

Ghalibaf praised the resistance of the Palestinian groups and said, “We hope that in the end the right will prevail over the wrong and we will see the liberation of all the occupied territories from the filth of the Zionists.”

The parliament speaker stated that in these circumstances, “unconditional practical and political support is the duty of every Islamic and freedom-loving country.”

Palestinian resistance movements in Gaza have maintained their armed reaction to Israeli attacks that have murdered 213 Palestinians since May 10, including 61 children, 36 women, and 16 old persons. During the assaults, a total of 1,442 people were injured.

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He also advised the candidates to follow ethical principles in the presidential campaigns.

Failure to use the opportunity to participate in elections to influence “one’s own destiny will harm the interests of the people” in all social classes,” the speaker remarked.

He noted that low participation has no winners.

Ghalibaf highlighted that the people should build the future with their own free will.

“Today is a good opportunity for us to join hands with every ideology and attitude and with every political faction to build a strong Iran, as the Leader said,” he pointed out.

‘Candidates should refrain from making unfair claims against rivals’

Speaking on the importance of upholding moral principles in the presidential campaigns, the top parliamentarian noted that the candidates should seriously refrain from making unfair claims against rivals.

“Such actions will blacken the situation in the country and disappoint the people about the future. The Iranian people themselves know better than anyone that the main power of our land is in the support of its people. Increasing this popular power will directly lead to the national interest in various international arenas against the enemies of the people,” he stressed.

Ghalibaf said that the people attach great importance to the fact that the president, as the highest executive official of the country, plays the most important role in the lives of the people.

Speaking about the successful registration of candidates and the variety of nominees from various political factions, he said that a large number of candidates from different political groups indicates that the country’s political elites, with different tastes, have accepted both the electoral process and the position of the presidency, and have sufficient authority to bring about change.

He said, “The seriousness of the competitive environment and the high participation of the people in line with the interest of the country is the demand of all sympathizers of Iran.”

The top MP stated that a transformation of the electoral passion into massive participation in the elections is possible if the candidates and their loyalists realize that it is important to create hope and draw a clear horizon for the country and provide operational solutions to achieve them.

It is necessary to increase participation in the election, he added.

The presidential elections will be held on June 18.

According to Jamal Orf, the Deputy Minister of Interior, over 592 candidates have registered for the elections, 40 of which were women.

Many prominent political figures have registered to bring about a fresh change in the administration, including Judiciary chief Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi, special advisor to Leader Ali Larijani, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati.

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“During our recent visit to the Isfahan nuclear industry complex, we observed the process of construction and operation of this plant. Effective steps have been taken, which is in its final stages, and we hope that the metal uranium plant will open in due course,” the MP said.

Amouei stated that the Islamic Republic is currently implementing the parliamentary law on Strategic Action and if the Americans don’t change their policies in practice and stick to the policy of maximum pressure, Iran will not return to its JCPOA obligations unless the exact signs of change are seen.

Reiterating Tehran’s position, he said, “There will be no change in Iran’s nuclear program without the lifting of sanctions and careful verification.”

Noting that enriching uranium to up to 60% is for the purpose of obtaining molybdenum for radiopharmaceuticals, he said that the country needed this level of enrichment, as it was predicted in the aforementioned law.

The senior MP noted that according to the timetable predicted in the law, the optimization of the Arak reactor is in progress as well.

Amouei said that an interaction has taken place between the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in which the agency has no access to Iran’s nuclear facilities based on the protocols, but has kept the cameras monitoring the operations. However, he said, Iran will not provide information to the IAEA inspectors on a quarterly basis unless an agreement is reached and that will be dependent on the Europeans to stop pressure on Iran.

Iran began enriching uranium to 60% purity right after the Israeli Mossad spy agency conducted an act of sabotage on the Natanz nuclear facility on April 13.

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The lawmaker, Alireza Salimi, who is a member of the parliament’s presiding board, said the Vienna talks should proceed within the framework of a nuclear law passed by the parliament and in accordance with the policies articulated by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

The nuclear law, officially called “Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Nation’s Rights,” stipulates that if the remaining parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal– Germany, France, China, Russia, and the UK- failed to facilitate Iran’s oil exports and the return of Iranian oil revenues in two months, the Iranian government would be obligated to stop inspections beyond the IAEA safeguards, including the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, which allows unannounced and intensive inspections of nuclear sites.

Iran reached an understanding with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi a few days before the implementation of the nuclear law. Under the deal, the IAEA is allowed to carry out necessary inspections and verifications for a period of three months. After that, the continuation of the inspections would be contingent on the West lifting sanctions and returning to commitments under the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran’s deal with the UN nuclear watchdog will expire in May, potentially setting the stage for a new round of tensions between them unless the current Vienna nuclear talks lead to another deal before the end of that deal.

Salimi said the Vienna talks only have a window of three months opportunity to succeed, potentially hinting that if these talks fail to result in a deal within three months, they will not continue.

“In the Vienna negotiations, the law of the parliament and the policies announced by the Leader must be observed, and any agreement beyond the framework set by the parliament will not be accepted,” he told the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA).

He added, “Since the Vienna talks are supposed to lead to an agreement and the parties will sign it, it must be ratified by the Islamic Consultative Assembly because it is a new and binding agreement, so if the legal issues mentioned in the agreement are not included, it will face problems in the Assembly.”

He pointed out that the Vienna Agreement would have no value without parliamentary ratification.

“If the sanctions are to be lifted step by step, or partially, or if the lifting of sanctions is only for a period of 120 days and tougher sanctions are imposed, we will certainly not accept the Vienna agreement,” he continued.

He also warned of an American trap, saying the Iranian negotiating team must avoid it.

“We advise the negotiating team not to fall into the American trap and to conduct the negotiations within the framework of the Strategic Action Law and the policies articulated by the Leader,” the lawmaker concluded.

Nuclear negotiators from Iran and the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal held another meeting on Saturday to discuss the latest developments related to the issue of reviving the nuclear deal.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian negotiating team at the talks, which have been moving forward since they started in April. The main objective of the Vienna talks is to reach an agreement on how to revive the nuclear deal.

At the start of the meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, Araghchi said participants will discuss the outcome of the talks that were held at the level of expert groups.

“After this meeting, delegations will return to capitals,” the top Iranian nuclear negotiator said.

Following the Saturday meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, it was agreed that the talks will be resumed on Friday, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

According to the statement, participants discussed the latest developments related to the discussions of the three expert groups.

“In this meeting, the participants reviewed the latest status of consultations among expert-level working groups in the fields of sanctions removal, nuclear issues, and practical arrangements. It was decided that the delegations return to their capitals following this meeting, and resume the talks next Friday,” the statement continued.

Based on an earlier decision by the Joint Commission on expediting the process of negotiations, the talks were held bilaterally or multilaterally in an intensive way this week, and the parties tried to minimize their disagreements over the drafts.

“The participants agreed that in the next round of talks, the process should move forward in a faster and more serious way,” the statement noted.

Meanwhile, the Russian envoy to the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said these talks made “indisputable progress.”

“The JCPOA participants noted today the indisputable progress made at the Vienna talks on restoration of the nuclear deal. The Joint Commission will reconvene at the end of the next week. In the meantime, experts will continue to draft elements of future agreement,” he said on Twitter.

He added, “At which stage the Vienna talks on JCPOA restoration are? It’s too early to be excited, but we have reasons for cautious and growing optimism. There is no deadline, but participants aim at successful completion of the talks in approximately 3 weeks. Is it realistic? We will see.”

Meanwhile, the Iranian top negotiator said parties have agreed that most of the individuals, entities, and institutions would be removed from the sanctions list.

“Some people are still in the sanctions list for various reasons and in this regard, negotiations are still underway,” he said, noting, “According to the agreements reached so far, sanctions on the energy sector or the car industry, financial sectors, banking systems, and ports should be lifted.”

“We have small technical points in the nuclear issue as well as sanctions, and we have details that need to be discussed,” Araghchi pointed out.

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In Sunday’s open session of the Parliament, the letter signed by 33 MPs requesting for impeachment of Minister of Economy was delivered to the presiding board.

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