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Iran’s regime gave out high-profile mixed signals on Saturday about the nuclear talks with the 5+1 Powers, with President Rouhani expressing hope but the Supreme Leader concentrating on defiance of the US.

Rouhani told reporters that “some differences have been removed and new common points of view have been created” after last week’s discussions in Switzerland, while acknowledging that other differences remain: “It is quite natural that the coming days or weeks will be very tough as taking final step is always somewhat difficult”

However, the President pointed to compromise for a resolution:

Negotiations never satisfy both sides completely as each side should mind their own red lines….No power in the world could be the absolute winner or think of annihilation of the other party or trampling upon rights of others.

In contrast, Ayatollah Khamenei said nothing about compromise in his New Year speech in Mashhad. Instead, he vilified the US: “America is the root of all the problems. We should not trust them….The enemy wants to destroy the incredible security of our county by [misguiding] our own people.”

Telling the crowd that it is acceptable to chant “Death to America”, the Supreme Leader emphasized his notion that a “Resistance Economy” can protect Iranians even if there is no nuclear deal: “We must be self sufficient….We should not depend on others.”

At the same time, he repeated the condition for the quick removal of US-led sanctions in any resolution of the nuclear issue.

Khamenei ruled out any cooperation with the US over regional matters, including the fight against the Islamic State, whether or not a deal is reached: “All should know the only subject of the talks is nuclear, nothing else, we oppose each other.”


Israel Sends High-Level Envoys to Paris to Bolster Tough French Position

Israel has sent two senior envoys to Paris to bolster France’s tough stance in the nuclear talks.

Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz and National Security Adviser Joseph Cohen are flying at short notice, with Steinitz saying they may hold meetings with other European nations.

“This is an effort to prevent a deal that is bad and full of loopholes, or at least…to succeed in closing or amending some of these loopholes,” Steinitz said.

France reportedly complicated talks with Iran in Switzerland last week, saying that the deal on the table did not do enough to prevent an eventual Iranian military nuclear program. The French delegation called for assurances against short-term lifting of sanctions — a key Iranian conditions for a deal — and for a longer duration of the agreement.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius phoned his team to ensure that there were no compromises. On Saturday, after the adjournment of the five-day negotiations, Fabius said France wants an agreement that would guarantee that Iran could not produce a nuclear weapon.

The other 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, Germany, China, and Russia) were reportedly unsettled by the French hard-line, and Iranian officials said there was no point in continuing talks until the 5+1 agreed among themselves. However, on Saturday, US Secretary of State Kerry, Fabius, and German and British counterparts met in London and emphasized their “unity”.

Steinitz offered the Israeli perspective, saying Paris had ensured curbs on Iran’s enrichment of 20% uranium in the interim deal agreed in November 2013: “The French helped us a great deal.”