Following the latest session of nuclear deal negotiations with the Iranian regime, European diplomats acknowledged on Tuesday that the nuclear deal will soon be an ‘empty shell’, and that they have yet to get into ‘real’ negotiations with the regime.
The acknowledgment on behalf of the European authorities highlights yet again that the negotiations and efforts to revive the highly-flawed deal, formerly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are futile.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said, “The negotiations had been delayed for five months following the appointment of Ebrahim Raisi but resumed at the start of the previous week, with the stated goal of restoring all parties’ compliance with the 2015 agreement.”
European Union diplomat Enrique Mora, who chaired the talks last Thursday, maintained an optimistic outlook on the negotiations, claiming that following the meeting he saw a ‘renewed sense of purpose’ from all of the parties involved in regards to reaching an agreement to revive the JCPOA.
However, his optimism was not shared by the British, French, German, and American diplomats, who criticized the regime heavily for their excessive demands and refusal to cooperate with the proceedings.
German diplomats at the negotiations urged the regime on Thursday to come back to the talks with ‘realistic proposals’, while Liz Truss, the British Foreign Secretary stated that it was the regime’s ‘last chance to sign up’ and that ‘it’s in their interests to do so’.
The NCRI said, “These remarks from the highest-level officials may indicate that the international community is preparing a final push to salvage the negotiating process by convincing Tehran of the need for compromise. So far, Iranian delegates to the talks have mainly reiterated their demand for the US to remove all sanctions that were imposed or re-imposed after then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018.”
While the regime demanded that only after a sanctions relief had been verified would they consider returning to compliance under the terms of the JCPOA, they have not offered anything in return. Germany and France have accused the regime of ‘abandoning compromises’ that had been agreed upon during the past sessions of talks before June.
Following the United States withdraw from the JCPOA during Trump’s presidency, the latest U.S. president Joe Biden signalled his administration’s willingness to re-enter the agreement as he came to power earlier this year. The question remains, however, if it would be possible to restore the agreement in a way to satisfy all of the signatories, but it seems apparent from previous sessions that this will be an unlikely outcome.
It is no secret that the regime has been buying time during previous negotiations in order to secretly advance their nuclear program.
The NCRI said, “Western powers should know that the JCPOA was an ‘empty shell’ from the first day. The regime never abided by its commitments under the terms of the JCPOA.”
Last month, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi visited Iran for extensive talks with the regime about their nuclear program. These talks ‘proved inconclusive’ and Grossi noted that the decision to ban the IAEA inspectors’ access to the facility at Karaj is “seriously affecting the Agency’s ability to restore continuity of knowledge at the workshop.”
As the Iranian Resistance has previously stated, “Only firmness could break this cycle. The six UN Security Council resolutions must be reactivated. The Iranian regime’s nuclear sites should be dismantled, and the regime should halt enriching uranium. The inspection, anywhere and anytime, should be implemented.”
Source » iranfocus