Top Iranian official Ali Shamkhani: “Work of Iranian negotiators towards progress is becoming more difficult”

Apparently unsettled by Western proposals in the Vienna talks, Iran’s officials issue contradictory statements about the state of discussions over the 2015 nuclear deal.

Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, highlighted the tensions highlighted the tensionwith a Sunday tweet: “The work of Iranian negotiators towards progress is becoming more difficult every moment…while Western parties ‘pretend’ to come up with initiatives to avoid their commitments.”

Shamkhani reinforced his message that the talks were stalling, invoking his conversation with Iran’s lead negotiator in Vienna, Ali Baqeri Kani:

Hours earlier, Russia’s representative Mikhail Ulyanov had declared, “Significant progress has been made in the course of negotiations.” He noted that all powers in the 2015 deal except Iran — Russia, the UK, Germany, France, and China — had met with the US about American re-entry, lifting of sanctions, and Tehran’s return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Shamkhani also undid the official Iranian line, put out through the Islamic Republic News Agency on Saturday: “Much of the text of a final agreement has been drafted.”

On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh implicitly knocked back Shamkhani’s statement, while putting the onus on the US and Europe for further steps.

Division in Tehran?

Iranian officials appeared to be split by Western proposals that were tabled last week, which were confirmed by a Chinese representative and left Tehran “furious”.

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Trying to hold the initiative, they put out the message through journalists, “Good to see that finally after 5 months of slow walking, there is something to be called as an American proposal.”

The Iranian delegation in Vienna continued talks through the weekend, with one faction in Tehran promoting the news of advance towards a final deal. However, another group — including Shamkhani — was concerned at the movement and the meeting between the other powers and the Americans.

That resulted in a muddled message on Sunday about Iran’s position, notably over any US involvement.

An Iranian official followed up on Monday, through Press TV, by rejecting “rumors that the United States was expected to engage in direct talks with Iran through a session of the Joint Commission of the 2015 agreement”.

Iran finally returned to the Vienna talks in November, after a five-month break which included June’s managed election of President Ebrahim Raisi and his inauguration in August. After further weeks of delay as Tehran tried to set aside progress in talks between April and June, Iran finally agreed to discussions which included some of those provisions.

However, division in Tehran was revealed two weeks ago by a letter to the Supreme Leader from Iran’s former lead negotiator Saeed Jalili, damning the talks and called for withdrawal from the 2015 deal.

Jalili, a hardliner, asked Ayatollah Khamenei to authorize an increase of uranium enrichment to 90% — a level suitable for military use — and then to enter direct talks with Washington.

President Raisi did not comment on the letter. However, he struck a pose on Friday dismissing the need for agreement. Speaking on the 43rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, he said, “We put our hopes on the east, west, north, south of our country and never have any hope in Vienna and New York.”