Robert Malley: Iran Elections Have No Impact on Nuclear Negotiations

The US Special Representative for Iran Affairs says no process related to the Islamic Republic will be accelerated or slowed down because of the elections. Rouhani, in remarks that differ from previous statements, has said Iran is ready to interact with the US on a commitment-for-commitment basis.

Robert Malley, the US State Department’s Special Representative for Iran Affairs, says the possibility of lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic is not ruled out, but US President Joe Biden is not taking unilateral steps in this regard.

In an interview with the website “Axios” published on Wednesday, the 20th of Esfand, he emphasized that the presidential elections in Iran are not a factor in the Biden administration’s decisions about how to proceed with negotiations with Tehran.

Previously, some senior officials of the Hassan Rouhani government, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, had implicitly and sometimes openly warned the White House that, given the high likelihood of hardline principalists winning the 1400 presidential election, the remaining opportunity in the twelfth government to reach an agreement should not be missed.

Iran Elections Have No Effect

Robert Malley emphasized that the US government will not accelerate or slow down negotiations efforts because of Iran’s elections, and this process will only proceed in accordance with US national interests and security.

He added that the US government has made clear to the Islamic Republic that it is ready to cooperate in a serious diplomatic process to create conditions for both sides to return to the nuclear agreement and JCPOA commitments.

The Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously said that Iran will return to implementing JCPOA commitments only if US sanctions are completely lifted and this matter is verified.

A senior State Department official told “Axios” that the Joe Biden administration is only willing to consider lifting some sanctions after bilateral talks begin and as part of a bilateral process.

Dialogue, Even Indirectly

He added that the two sides must enter into dialogue, even if indirectly, though direct talks would be more beneficial. Robert Malley also says that from the government’s perspective, direct negotiations are more effective and less likely to cause misunderstandings.

Nevertheless, some reports suggest the possibility of behind-the-scenes and indirect talks between Tehran and Washington. The US State Department has not denied the existence of communication channels between the two sides but said it will not answer questions on this matter.

Hassan Rouhani, at the government cabinet meeting on Wednesday, while noting that America should take the initiative, said to that country: “We are ready to return to commitments on a whole-for-whole or part-for-part basis. It is you who can choose the right and correct path.”

These remarks differ from Khamenei’s previous conditions regarding the necessity of completely lifting US sanctions for Iran to return to its commitments and have faced sharp criticism in parliament.

Criticism of Rouhani in Parliament

According to “Fararu,” Nosratollah Peymonfar, chairman of the Eighty-Ninth Commission of Parliament, accuses Hassan Rouhani of intending to “create duality in the country” with these remarks or to raise these points with electoral motives.

He added: “Both the government and others fully understood in the JCPOA matter that the gradual lifting of sanctions is a completely failed scenario, and repeating it again makes no logical sense.”

Ahmad Hossein Fallahi, the representative of Hamadan in parliament, also expressed hope that Rouhani’s remarks do not mean “re-negotiation, surrender, and retreat,” because according to him there will be no negotiations and Iran will wait for sanctions to be lifted before returning to JCPOA commitments.

Based on evidence and statements by Robert Malley, the Joe Biden administration is not ready to lift sanctions against the Islamic Republic before Iran returns to implementing JCPOA commitments, but Rouhani’s recent remarks suggest the possibility that Tehran may be ready to back away from its previous hardline positions.

Source: DW