By Vestnik Kavkaza
Another round of Iranian nuclear talks will begin on March 26th in Lausanne, Switzerland. Vitaly Churkin, the Russian envoy to the UN, said at the Security Council’s session on the Iranian problem that the 5+1 group of international mediators (the USA, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany) and Iran would discuss “certain measures” of reconsideration of the current sanctions regime against Tehran. According to the Foreign Minister of Iran Javad Zarif, due to efforts by Iranian diplomats and new decisions which were proposed by experts of the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Nuclear Power Organization of Iran, “appropriate technical and political solutions” to problems which had seemed to be unsolvable were found; but the 5+1 countries needed more time to coordinate their positions, as “they had to consider various political views, interests, and even personal issues.”
The International New York Times published an article on the Iranian nuclear program entitled “Iran’s Hard-Liners Show Restraint on Nuclear Talks With U.S.” The article informs about the trend where “the coterie of Iran’s hard-line Shiite Muslim clerics and Revolutionary Guards commanders is usually vocal on the subject of the Iranian nuclear program, loudly proclaiming the country’s right to pursue its interests and angrily denouncing the United States. But as the United States and Iran prepare to restart nuclear talks this week, the hard-liners have been keeping a low profile.” The article points out that two weeks ago the Committee to Protect Iranian Interests, the main group opposing the talks, was again out on the streets, but this time protesting against the government’s economic policies, not nuclear-related issues. “In a speech on Saturday to commemorate the first day of the Iranian New Year, Ayatollah Khamenei, addressing a crowd of thousands, rejected President Obama’s remarks that some in Iran were against resolving the nuclear issue through diplomacy. While supporting the talks, the supreme leader has had to walk a fine line, balancing the hopes and expectations of those wanting to end Iran’s isolation with those deeply invested in its anti-Western ideology,” the article reads.
The Washington Post continued the topic with material on “Iran says no snap inspections of nuclear sites”. The aricle reminds that “an Iranian official on Tuesday rebuked the chief of the U.N. atomic agency for demanding snap inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites, saying the request hindered efforts to reach an agreement with world powers.” This ended up with “the United States and five other world powers facing an end-of-the-month deadline to reach a framework agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.” One the one hand, “Western nations suspect Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside the civilian program. On the other hand, Iran denies such allegations, insisting its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.” The article then goes back to last June, when it was stated that Iran may accept snap inspections as part of a final nuclear agreement. By today, Iran and the so-called P5+1 (the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) “hope to reach a rough deal on the nuclear program by the end of March and a final agreement by June 30,” the article reads.
