Former Iranian diplomat Kourosh Ahmadi said that the efforts and achievements of Iran’s nuclear-negotiating team are praiseworthy and the new administration has the right to take their chances in gaining more concessions from the US.
In an interview with IRNA on Tuesday, Ahmadi referred to the latest quarterly report by Iran’s Foreign Ministry on the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal, knowing as the JCPOA, saying that the report made it clear that the United States has accepted to remove all sanctions related to the deal and even some other sanctions imposed during Donald Trump presidency.
However, according to the former diplomat, the reports said that Washington has refused to remove sanctions prior to the JCPOA and sanctions related to such issues as terrorism, human rights, missiles, etc.
He also added that the report was also silent on many other issues, including subsequent negotiations on missile issues and Iran’s regional influence, US guarantee not to exit the deal again, ways of verifying sanctions removal, the status of trigger mechanism in the UNSCR2231, US compensation for withdrawal from the deal, US stance on the IAEA allegations against Iran and etc.
“The JCPOA was signed between Iran and 6 world power in 2015 to remove the US and international sanctions imposed against Iran due to nuclear issues in return for Iran’s practicing certain limitations on its nuclear program.
However, Ahmadi underlined that the deal had little opportunity to test its capacities, as it became effective in the last year in the tenure of the former US President Barack Obama and survived only for one year more into Trump’s term although under high political and psychological pressure.
Iran waited for 3 years after Trump ceased US participation in the deal in 2018; however, Tehran reduced its compliance to the deal to reciprocate US withdrawal, in accordance with the JCPOA provisions.
US President Joe Biden promised to return Washington to the deal which was welcomed by Iran and the remaining participants of the nuclear deal.
Iran and 4+1 started a series of talks in Vienna to set the ground for the US to rejoin the deal. So far, six rounds of talks in which the US has taken part indirectly has been held, leading the results inflected in the quarterly report by Iran’s Foreign Ministry which shows the current administration in Iran has stopped moving forward with the talks to let the administration of president-elect Ebrahim Raisi to take the chance once he takes office on August 5,” the former diplomat noted.
Ahmadi who is an expert on foreign policy said that the new administration would face no domestic hurdle in making an agreement with the 4+1 and the US to revive the deal.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ahmadi highlighted the unbalance in Iran’s foreign policy in terms of establishing ties with the so-called East and West alliance of world powers.
He opined that if the policy remains unchanged, Iran would continue to export raw products and import low-quality goods and be deprived of productive foreign investment and high technology.
The first step for Iran to start cooperation with the West is to revive the JCPOA and ratify FATF rules in banking, the former diplomat said, adding that this wouldn’t be enough if Israeli continued to poison Iran’s foreign policy and some Arab states in the region kept tension in their ties with Iran.
The expert described Iran’s signing of a 25-year comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with China and extending the strategic partnership with Russia as good and necessary steps.
However, he opined that these measures wouldn’t be enough, as Iran will have to mend fences with the West to create a balance in its foreign policy to prevent intervention in its internal affairs.