PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and lead Iranian technical negotiator Ali Akbar Salehi in heated discussion on Thursday

LATEST

FRIDAY FEATURE

Video: Obama’s New Year Message to Iranians About Nuclear Talks


UPDATE 2000 GMT:

Iran and the US, joined by the other 5+1 Powers (Britain, France, Germany, and China), have adjourned nuclear talks after five days in Lausanne, Switzerland. They will resume on March 25.

Iran’s senior negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, spoke of “very serious and intensive” negotiations. He said US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with counterparts from the 5+1 Powers in Berlin on Saturday.

Officials indicated that the two sides were still far apart on the issue of sanctions relief. Iran wants the US-led restrictions to be lifted soon after a deal. A senior European negotiator responded, “They insist they have to go immediately. No way. It is out the question.”

The 5+1 Powers also are reportedly divided. Officials said France is demanding a deal which is longer in duration and with more restrictions than that envisaged by the other five countries.


An official, involved in the latest talks between Iran and the US in Switzerland, has talked down the possibility of a nuclear agreement before an informal US deadline for resolution on March 31.

The two sides convened for the fifth straight day on Thursday, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry leading the political negotiations. The top Iranian and US technical negotiators also continued discussions.

However, a “European official familiar with the negotiations” — the European Union is brokering the discussions — said:

I don’t think we’ve made sufficient progress. A lot of issues remain on the table. At the end of the day, the pressure should be on Iran. They have to move.

The official repeated the figure of “about 6,000” uranium centrifuges under the agreement, a 40% decrease in Iran’s current operating stock. Iranians negotiators have reportedly agreed in principle to a proposal of 6,500 centrifuges, provided sanctions are lifted quickly after an agreement.

An American official hinted that there might be a shift in the US position of “gradual” lifting of sanctions, implying a process of years: “Negotiators have advised Iran that many sanctions can be suspended as soon as it meets its commitments under an agreement, such as allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency to step up inspections of Iranian facilities.”

However, the European official said the 5+1 Powers (France, Russia, US, Germany, and Britain) “feel less urgency” than the Iranians to resolve the sanctions issue.

Kerry is scheduled to return to Washington on Friday for a scheduled meeting with the President of Afghanistan, with the Iranian delegation going home to celebrate the Persian New Year.


Imprisoned Children’s Rights Activist Daemi Charged With “Acting Against National Security”

After six months in “temporary detention” in Evin Prison, civil and children’s rights activist Atena Daemi has been formally charged with a series of “crimes”.

A source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, “Atena was charged with ‘propaganda against the state”, ‘acting against national security’, and ‘insulting the Supreme Leader and Islam’.”

The source said the charges are based on Daemi’s posts on Facebook — such as opposition to hijab and the death penalty — and participation in gatherings, including those supporting the children of Syria’s Kurdish center Kobane when it was attacked by the Islamic State.

In a March 7 hearing, Daemi denied the charges and her lawyer objected to the evidence as unreasonable.

Daemi, who worked at the Revolution Sports Club in Tehran, was arrested on October 21, 2014, by Revolutionary Guards. Her lawyer has again requested the judge to set bail for her release.

Foreign Minister Zarif Snaps at Obama’s Nowruz Message: “High Time for US to Choose Pressure or Agreement”

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has returned President Obama’s Nowruz message, calling for Iranian leaders to choose the “right path” for a nuclear agreement, with a sharp jab:

See Iran Video: Obama’s New Year Message to Iranians About Nuclear Talks

State Media Carefully Edits President Obama’s Nowruz Message to Iranians

State outlets carefully edit the Nowruz message to Iranians from President Obama, offering best wishes for celebrations and hopes for a resolution in nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers.

IRNA and Press TV proclaim, “Obama: Iran Kept Its Nuclear Commitments Under Interim Deal”, with this extract from the message: “Just over a year ago we reached an initial understanding regarding Iran’s nuclear program and both sides have kept our commitments.”

However, both Press TV’s article and its clip from Obama’s video omit this passage:

Iran’s leaders have a choice between two paths.

If they cannot agree to a reasonable deal, they will keep Iran on a path it is on today, a path that has isolated Iran and the Iranian people from so much of the world and caused so much hardship for Iranian families and deprived so many Iranian youth of the jobs and opportunities they deserve.

On the other hand, if Iran’s leaders can agree to a reasonable deal, it can lead to a better path: the path of greater opportunity for the Iranian people.