Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani (R) greets European Union deputy foreign policy head Enrique Mora, Tehran, October 14, 2021
UPDATE, OCT 19:
Bolstering the denial that Iran is returning to the Vienna nuclear talks, President Ebrahim Raisi has restated the precondition of a lifting of US sanctions.
Raisi only briefly referred to the nuclear issue in a State TV interview on Monday night. He asserted that Iran is “serious and committed” to return to Vienna for “result-oriented” discussions.
But he added, “For the other side, a readiness to lift sanctions can be a sign for its seriousness.”
President Raisi dedicated 88 seconds of his 50 min televised interview tonight to the nuclear deal.
He reiterated that Tehran is "serious about result-oriented negotiations" and called for the removal of "unjust" US sanctions against Iran. Gave no dates for resumption of talks. pic.twitter.com/mE1eNwiCAj
— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) October 18, 2021
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell cautioned on Monday, “We made it clear to the Iranians that time is not on their side and it’s better to go back to the negotiating table quickly.”
UPDATE, OCT 18:
The Foreign Ministry has denied the claim of an MP that Iran is returning to nuclear talks in Vienna on Thursday
Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday night that the comments of Ahmad Alirezabeigi, after legislators met Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were the “wrong conclusion”.
Khatibzadeh said, in line with statements from European Union officials, that Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri will travel to Brussels for talks with the EU’s deputy foreign head Enrique Mora.
EU sources said, after Mora’s two-day trip to Tehran last week, that “talks about talks” would continue in Brussels before any resumption of negotiations between Iran and the 4+1 Powers (UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia) over US re-entry, lifting of American sanctions, and a return to Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.
Another MP, Alireza Salimi, indicated that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had set a precondition of the removal of some US sanctions before resumption of negotiations.
Speaking after a further closed-door session with the Foreign Minister, Salimi quoted Amir-Abdollahian as saying the Iranian negotiating team will adhere to a December law on sanctions removal and safeguard of national interests. The Foreign Minister said the US must show “goodwill and sincerity” and take a “serious” step before a return to Vienna.
According to Salimi, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran will not tie its economic plans to the assumption of a lifting of comprehensive US sanctions, imposed by the Trump Administration in November 2018.
ORIGINAL ENTRY, OCT 15: The European Union is waiting on movement from Iran before any resumption of stalled talks over renewal of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The sixth set of Vienna talks were in June. At the time, Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, said Tehran and the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia) were “closer to the end of the road” on agreement over US re-entry, lifting of American sanctions, and Iran’s return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
But the discussions were adjourned for the managed election of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. After his inauguration in early August, the Government has held out against any return to the negotiating table.
See also Iran Continues to Stall Over Resumption of Nuclear Talks
On Thursday, the EU’s deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora, who chairs the Vienna talks, met Raisi’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani in Tehran.
But EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell, in Washington for discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, indicated there was no breakthrough for negotiations.
Borrell’s spokesman Peter Stano said, “We are awaiting the Iranians’ response. A meeting will be called if all parties are in agreement and are all ready. There is an urgent need to resume discussions very soon.”
After several hours of talks between Mora and Baqeri Kani, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “At the end of this meeting, the two parties agreed to continue dialogue on questions of mutual interest in the coming days in Brussels.”
Baqeri Kani immediately moved from the discussions to a phone consultation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Iranian minister said the talks with the European Union were “positive” on “finding practical solutions to current deadlock in Vienna talks”, and will continue in two weeks in the Belgian capital.
Meanwhile, Iran’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharibabadi, put out a hard line with a threat to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a pledge to continue non-cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency:
What is the advantage of being both a NPT member and fully implementing the Agency’s safeguards? How could one see the IAEA as a serious, professional and impartial partner when it does not pursue evenly and justly the implementation of its safeguards regime for all its members?
Gharibabadi issued his statement on Twitter after IAEA head Rafael Grossi said in an interview that Agency cannot oversee Israel’s nuclear program because the Israelis have not acceded to the NPT.
Iran’s agreement with the IAEA for inspections of nuclear facilities expired at the end of June, and Tehran has been withholding all monitoring videos from the Agency since February. The IAEA also says its female inspectors have been harassed by Iranian personnel.
Iran may be selling 650,000 barrels of crude and condensate to China: https://www.kpler.com/blog/gaining-visibility-on-dark-vessels-iranian-exports-of-crude-oil-to-china-increase-into-2021
As time goes on, the sanctions re-imposed by the U.S will be ignored as energy consumers get what they need. It is astonishing that the government of a country that prides itself as the beacon of free trade is so willing to disturb the energy market and make its own people pay higher gas prices at the pump just to punish Iran for responding to its illegal moves. This is a subject to be discussed at a new post-American world conference hosted in Tehran: http://www.usdecline.ir/en/
Varharan,
Iran’s sale to China is not significant — what’s significant is that there haven’t been sales of this type for some time.
Your comment is your standard fact-free waffle, but it is useful to see those who are pushing their lines at the “post-American world conference”. Many of the usual suspects there….
S.
Please tell me how energy sanctions against Iran (trade with them and we cut you off) are consistent with a [philosophy of free trade? Tell me also how they benefit American gasoline consumers? The much-touted shale oil boom is well and truly over.
Oil prices extend gains to multi-year highs on tight supply: https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/oil-prices-on-the-march-again-in-tight-market-us-crude-at-7yr-high-2653514
Iran Registers Lowest Daily COVID Deaths in 16 Weeks: https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/10/23/2594704/iran-registers-lowest-daily-covid-deaths-in-16-weeks
“The Iranian Health Ministry put the total deaths from COVID-19 in the country at 125,052 on Saturday, saying the disease has taken the lives of 124 patients over the past 24 hours, the lowest toll in 112 days. Over the past 24 hours, 7,081 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported, with 1,078 of them hospitalized, the ministry added.”
According to labour ministry, one third of iran’s population lives in absolute poverty
https://old.iranintl.com/en/iran/iran-enters-new-economic-era-marked-poverty
There is a new report that paints even a gloomier picture:
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/31525033.html
Iran International is a Saudi-funded propaganda station.
Radio Farda is a US Congress-funded propaganda station.
It is their mission to create as gloomy a picture within the country as possible.
And you are here to whitewash atrocities of a horrible murderous regime. What is your point?
‘Maximum Psychological’ Pressure: Iranian Rights Lawyer Tortured, Drugged During Detention, Attorney Says
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-rights-lawyer-torture/31519416.html
New Gallup poll on Iran: https://news.gallup.com/poll/355973/iranians-show-faith-new-president.aspx
72% of Iranians approve of the job President Ebrahim Raisi is doing
Up from 32% approval for former President Hassan Rouhani in 2020
59% of Iranians have confidence in their national government
[Moderator’s Note: The poll is from late August, a few weeks after President Raisi was inaugurated.]
No Money For A Sack Of Rice: Iranians Describe Crushing Impact Of Inflation
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-inflation/31509642.html
Iran Covid deaths continue to fall: https://en.irna.ir/news/84510214/COVID-19-kills-167-more-Iranians-over-past-24-hours
The 167 death toll is in line with what the UK is experiencing which has a much higher vaccination rate.
New poll conducted by the University of Iran and IranPoll on public opinion within Iran: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5525d831e4b09596848428f2/t/616d9ee5bb6a230ee56e3057/1634574054598/2021-Sept-IranPoll-CISSM+-+Trend+Tables.pdf
[Moderator’s note: The poll was conducted from August 30-September 9.]
1. Turnout and voter choice largely reflect the 2021 official results (Q12 and Q15).
2. Raisi has a favorability rating of 78% (including 45% strong support) whereas ex-prez Rouhani has just 21%. (Q11)
3. Most Iranians support electoral law reform (Q21) and a sizeable minority objected to the Guardians Council’s vetting (Q24, Q25, Q27).
4. Iranians are split on support for the JCPOA (Q49)
5. Most Iranians expect Raisi to deliver and protests to subside (Q32 and Q38)
6. Most Iranians do not blame the ban on American-developed vaccines as the reason for not importing or producing enough Covid vaccines. (Q9)
[Moderator’s note: This is a misinterpretation of the responses of Iranians over the primary cause for slow vaccinations up to August 2021.]
No. It is not a misrepresentation. Most Iranians labelled incompetence, mismanagement and sanctions as the reasons for low vaccination during the last months of the Rouhani administration. 6% said a ban on (some) foreign vaccines was the cause.
Varharan,
You ignored that the question was open-text so a respondent could list the first of many perceived reasons for vaccination failure.
In other words, it is possible to believe in incompetence *and* mismanagement *and* the ban on foreign vaccines.
S.