Khatibzadeh: Iran made proposals to return to Vienna talks

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that after Enrique Moura's visit to Tehran, Iran has made "suggestions" regarding the nuclear talks that could lead to all parties returning to Vienna. However, the condition for this return is the acceptance of these proposals by the United States.

In a press conference on Monday, May 16, Saeed Khatibzadeh answered questions about the progress of the JCPOA negotiations, Enrique Moura's visit to Tehran, and the Iranian Foreign Minister's contact with the European Union's foreign policy chief.

According to ISNA, referring to a phone call between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, he said that negotiations on the JCPOA issue were held "seriously and with specific initiatives from Iran" and that the Islamic Republic had proposed "solutions" that if the US responded to, all parties could return to Vienna to reach an agreement.

Mora traveled to Iran on May 10, and after his return, Josep Borrell noted that Mora's trip to Iran ended "two months of deadlock" in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West, and that the reaction of Iranian officials to Enrique Mora's trip and messages was "sufficiently positive."

Khatibzadeh also said in his press conference today : " It is not abnormal for us to have differences in one or two points in the negotiations." He added: "What is available today is a few steps ahead of what was before Mr. Mora's visit to Tehran."

Regarding the recent talks between the US and French foreign ministers regarding the JCPOA, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iran is awaiting Washington's response to Iran's "logical and principled demands" and the text that "Iran and the 4+1 have agreed on," and that if "a political decision is made in Washington," the negotiations can be closed.

Mora's "clear agenda" 

Regarding the visit of Enrique Moura, the European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief and European coordinator for the JCPOA revival talks, Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Moura “came to Tehran with a clear agenda” and that Iran had used “special initiatives” and “creativity” in these talks to “resolve the other side’s shortcomings and lack of political decisions.” According to him, Iran has not received a response to these initiatives and is still “waiting for a political decision in Washington.”

In recent months, Iran has included in the negotiations a demand to remove the Revolutionary Guard Corps from the US list of terrorist organizations, an issue that has so far led to a deadlock in the negotiations.

On Sunday, May 15, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, and Philippe Erra, Director General for Political and Security Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry, in Berlin, and that they discussed ongoing negotiations with Iran to reach an agreement to return to full implementation of the JCPOA.

Russia's "constructive" role in the Vienna talks

The Iranian government has always considered Russia's role in the JCPOA negotiations to be "positive," a statement that was reiterated by the Foreign Ministry spokesman in today's press conference. Khatibzadeh said, "Russia's role in the Vienna talks has been constructive, and the war in Ukraine may diminish Russia's role as a mediator in the Vienna talks."

Khatibzadeh also In response to a question about the statements of Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian ambassador to Vienna, regarding the JCPOA negotiations, he said: "I am not talking about the scattered tweets of individuals. The voice we hear is the voice that everyone heard during the meeting between Mr. Lavrov and Amir Abdollahian in Moscow, and Lavrov announced from the podium that if an agreement is reached today, Russia will have no problem."

He is referring to a tweet three days ago (Friday, May 13) by Mikhail Ulyanov, who wrote: "If the circumstances were different, Russia could perhaps provide assistance to both sides (Iran and the United States) to finalize an agreement on the JCPOA, but not now."

Russia once threw a stone in the new round of negotiations on the agreement and demanded that the United States provide a written guarantee that, after the JCPOA is revived, Western sanctions against that country due to the attack on Ukraine will not affect economic and military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.

During the Hassan Rouhani administration, the release of an audio file from former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also caused controversy. In the audio file, he criticized Russia's policies towards the Islamic Republic and accused Moscow of, among other things, obstructing the nuclear deal and dragging Iranian troops into the scene of military conflicts in Syria.

Many experts also believe that Russia does not want to let Iran regain its place in the global oil market. Last week, Hamid Hosseini, head of the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Exporters Union, confirmed in an interview with the "Entikhab" website a report by international institutions about a decrease in Iranian oil exports to China and an increase in imports of cheaper Russian oil to China.

In contrast, Russian oil exports to India, which were as low as 20,000 barrels, have now increased to 600,000 barrels.

Iranian media controversy over Mora's "arrest" at Frankfurt Airport

Upon Enrique Moura's return from his trip to Tehran, the Islamic Republic's media wrote about the stopover at Frankfurt Airport during Moura's trip, stating that this was "stone-throwing by the Zionists during the Vienna talks."

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said in this regard: "The infamy of the Zionist regime is obvious to everyone, as it interferes in all processes."

Mora, who had traveled to Iran on Tuesday evening (May 10), tweeted that he was arrested by German police at Frankfurt Airport without any explanation while returning from Iran to Belgium, despite having a "Spanish diplomatic passport."

The Süddeutsche newspaper quoted a spokesman for the German Interior Ministry as saying that the “check was only related to the route of travel” and “had nothing to do with the three passengers on the plane.” According to the report, the check was carried out after “an alert message was given by an electronic system.”

Source: DW