Araqchi: There are understandings about lifting thematic sanctions
Abbas Araqchi says that there are two types of US sanctions and he thinks there are understandings about lifting some of them. Two members of parliament quoted Araqchi as saying that the US and the 4+1 countries have accepted the lifting of JCPOA sanctions.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran and head of the Iranian delegation attended the negotiations of the Joint Commission on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Saturday, May 25, at the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Parliament and presented a report on the progress of these negotiations.
Abbas Araqchi and two of the attendees at this meeting have made statements that differ dramatically regarding negotiations to lift US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Shahriar Heydari, the deputy chairman of the National Security Commission, quoted Araqchi as saying after the meeting that the sanctions are divided into two parts: one is general sanctions that include air, maritime, banking, and insurance sanctions, and the other is sanctions on natural and legal persons.
According to Mehr News Agency, Heydari, quoted by the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, said: "According to Iran's agreement with the 4+1 and the United States, it has been decided that sanctions that are of a general nature will be lifted, and that the lifting of sanctions that are of a specific nature will be discussed and consulted in the third round of negotiations."
According to this report, Fida Hussein Maliki, another member of the National Security Commission, said in a similar narrative: "According to the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, the Americans have agreed to lift the sanctions on specific issues such as those related to oil, banking, shipping, industry, and the economy."
Araqchi's different narrative on the possibility of lifting sanctions
These narratives have been reflected in the same way in some domestic media and a number of foreign Persian-language media outlets, but after leaving the meeting, Abbas Araqchi made statements in an interview with the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation that do not indicate that the sanctions will be lifted definitively.
In remarks, the video of which was published, including on the Journalists' Club Twitter account, the Deputy Foreign Minister said that there is "better understanding" regarding the sanctions that affect various sectors of the Iranian economy, such as oil, petrochemicals, insurance, automobiles, and construction.
In May 2018, during the presidency of Donald Trump, the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and reimposed the lifted or suspended sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
America's condition for returning to the JCPOA
On the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran reduced its implementation of its JCPOA commitments in five stages, and this process has continued to this day.
The Joe Biden administration has repeatedly announced its readiness to return to the nuclear agreement, but it has made it conditional on the Islamic Republic returning to its commitments under the JCPOA. Iran has also made it conditional on the immediate lifting of all sanctions.
The new round of the Joint Commission meeting in Vienna has raised hopes that a solution will be found to end this conflict. In recent days, as expert negotiations between representatives of the Islamic Republic and the five remaining countries in the JCPOA continue, hopes have increased that this process will be fruitful.
The Joint Commission negotiations in Vienna are being held with the participation of delegations headed by deputy foreign ministers and are chaired by Enrique Moura, the EU's deputy foreign policy chief.
Vienna talks with "indirect" US participation
These negotiations are being held for the first time since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 with the presence of a delegation from the United States, which is participating indirectly.
Apparently, the US is not ready to lift all sanctions, especially those imposed on individuals and legal entities. Fadah Hossein Maleki, quoting Araqchi, said that the Americans are “talking and having a chat” about lifting human rights sanctions.
So far, all parties involved in the Vienna talks have expressed optimism that they will be fruitful. However, it is still unclear whether the United States will accede to Iran's demand for the lifting of all sanctions or whether the Islamic Republic will back down.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week that no sanctions will be lifted until the United States is confident that Iran has fully returned to its commitments under the JCPOA.
Source: DW
