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Iran Supplements Public Diplomacy With New Nuclear Energy Website

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LATEST: After four hours, at 10:45 p.m. Geneva time, the meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and the European Union’s Catherine Ashton continues:

For the Iranians, there is some late-night support from the Supreme Leader’s office, in its first Twitter message in three days: “Our Nuclear Negotiators are the children of the Revolution.”

EVENING SUMMARY: US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the European Union’s Catherine Ashton, the lead negotiator for the 5+1 Powers.

Meanwhile, reports are circulating that talks will continue on Saturday, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov joining discussions. German, French, and British Foreign Ministers came to Geneva on Friday.

Few details have emerged on the substance of the initial deal that will be discussed by Foreign Ministers.

However, Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, gives important clues: 1) Tehran will not halt all enrichment of uranium; 2) easing of sanctions must include lifting of restrictions on Iran’s oil exports:

Another member of Iran’s team, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said, “We have announced to the West that in the first phase the issue of banking and oil sanctions must be considered.”

AFTERNOON SUMMARY: US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Geneva. He will join Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and British, French, and German counterparts this afternoon.

The sudden decision by Kerry and the European Foreign Ministers to join Zarif and Catherine Ashton, the lead negotiator for the 5+1 Powers, has fueled speculation that an initial deal may be close.

Meanwhile, Zarif and Ashton have had another session of discussions (see featured photo).

MORNING SUMMARY:Lead Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi and his US counterpart Wendy Sherman have a brief discussion on Thursday

We began Thursday on a downbeat of caution over the nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers in Geneva, but we ended it on a wave of optimism.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was atop the wave, “It is possible to reach an understanding or an agreement before we close these negotiations tomorrow evening.”

Zarif made clear that Tehran will not give up all enrichment of uranium, but said, “We can deal with various issues.”

Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, said that talks might extend into Saturday to get agreement on objectives, a “first part”, and a “final part” of the initial deal.

This morning, the US has fed the hope. The State Department announced that Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been touring the Middle East, will go to Geneva “in an effort to help narrow differences in negotiations”.

Speaking in a televised interview on Thursday night, President Obama said an agreement is “greatly preferable to us ratcheting up that conflict”.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague are also going to Geneva today.

Neither Zarif nor Araqchi offered details of the possible agreement, amid the commitment to confidentiality. EA’s analysis is that the two sides could agree in principle to Iran enriching uranium to 5%, under a strict system of inspection and supervision, while suspending enrichment to 20% and converting the higher-level stock to fuel plates — provided the 5+1 agree to a significant easing of sanctions.

Obama said the US will provide “very modest” sanctions relief in the initial phase of an agreement, although he maintained the tough line that “sanctions architecture” will be kept in place in case Iran does not comply with a settlement.

Optimism was reinforced by the pattern of talks on Thursday. After a plenary session in the morning, the delegations changed the afternoon arrangements to a series of bilateral discussions. The Iranians met the three European members of the 5+1 — Britain, France, and Germany — jointly, but they had separate sessions with the US, with China, and with Russia.

The negotiation with the Americans lasted an hour and was “useful and productive”, according to Araqchi.


Latest updates, most recent first

Jaish ul-Adl Spokesman Rigi Appears On Saudi Wesal TV

The spokesman of the Sistan-Baluchestan Sunni insurgent group Jaish ul-Adl has made another appearance on the Saudi Wesal TV channel, following the group’s claims that it was responsible for the killing of Musa Nuri, the attorney general of Zabol County in Sistan Baluchestan.

Iranian media reported on Thursday that Nuri died in an ambush by armed men.

Tehran has seen an upsurge in attacks from insurgent movements in the predominantly Sunni Sistan Baluchestan province.

Iran Supplements Public Diplomacy With New Nuclear Energy Website

A well-designed English-language website, NuclearEnergy.ir, has suddenly appeared.

The site features sections on History, Motives, Facilities, Negotiations, Legal Aspects, and Controversies to present Tehran’s views on the central issues.