ISLAMABAD: What are the chances of resolution of the nuclear issue between Iran and P5+1?
“The high-level P5+1 meeting with Iran has passed for the third time, due to lack of concrete proposals from Iran.” Excerpts from Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and JSOC.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the president of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, and Khajeq Tajili, the deputy speaker of the Majlis, (parliament) agreed that their governments will not negotiate to resolve the crisis over the country’s nuclear program.
The sides also reiterated that Iran’s economic crisis has decreased the political constraints on the negotiation table.
Expanding on the issue, the presidents of Iran and Oman recently met in Muscat, and discussed the future of ongoing negotiations and Iran’s presence in the nuclear deal.
According to Salehi, the president of Oman highlighted the need for the parties to continue working on ending the nuclear standoff and reassuring the international community about the deal’s sustainability.
Iran’s fresh assessments on the implementation of the nuclear deal by the parties came just two weeks after the US announced that the program must be strictly implemented or it will consider new sanctions.
The Islamic Republic thinks it now becomes clear that the deal depends on compliance with the agreements reached on the implementation of the nuclear deal.
Also speaking to a number of journalists after the meeting with the presidents of Iran and Oman, Salehi said, “what has been said in the last two days will be known once a decision has been taken by the international community, after examining the comments of the Europeans.”
So, what is the next move by Iran?
“We believe that Iran has offered a very solid response on this issue,” said Salehi.
Continuing, he said, “we believe that we have come out of the negotiation table with great respect for our negotiating partners. What was said by the European Union and especially France on Iran’s ballistic missile program is quite different from the US.”
It has also been claimed that officials of the European Union could play an important role in resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute, as a potential report is to be released in the next few days.
Iran’s foreign ministry says the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal opens up opportunities for Europe to work on ways to save the agreement and maintain the economic benefits for Tehran.