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Expectations remain low as Iran nuclear talks get underway
Talks began yesterday in Vienna between Iranian officials and representatives of the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) over a long-term solution to Tehran’s nuclear development, although both sides tempered expectations of significant progress.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the P5+1 delegation, chaired a plenary session before bilateral sessions took place, including a meeting between Iranian officials and the US delegation headed by undersecretary of state Wendy Sherman. Iran’s delegation also met with Chinese and Russian representatives, and Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who is thought to be pressing for unannounced inspections of nuclear sites.
In November, Iran and the P5+1 agreed a six-month deal under which Iran halted its development of 20 per cent enriched uranium in return for limited sanctions relief. However, Iran was not required to dismantle any of its centrifuges, leaving the infrastructure for atomic development in place. The current talks are aimed at finding a longer-term solution. However, Ashton’s spokesperson Michael Mann said, “Nobody is expecting a final agreement in this round of talks,” but rather “to create a framework to deal with negotiations over the coming months.” The modest expectations appeared to be confirmed by Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi who commented, “If we can agree on an agenda in the next two to three days, it means we have taken the first step.”
However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif indicated that Iran is not prepared to discuss Tehran’s military programme as part of the talks. He said, “As Iran’s nuclear program has nothing to do with the military issues, the military issues have nothing to do with the nuclear program either.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told a conference in Jerusalem yesterday that, “at the end of talks, Iran cannot remain a threshold nuclear state.” He warned that, “If the deal is a bad deal, it will have enormous consequences.”