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| Russian foreign minister to leave Iran nuclear talks early | Russian foreign minister to leave Iran nuclear talks early |
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| Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, will leave international negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme on Monday afternoon, officials said, as talks in Switzerland stumbled over a pair of particularly difficult problems. | Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, will leave international negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme on Monday afternoon, officials said, as talks in Switzerland stumbled over a pair of particularly difficult problems. |
| Russian foreign ministry officials said that Lavrov had to conduct bilateral talks with unnamed neighbouring countries but added he would return to the talks venue at Lausanne as soon as Tuesday, if needed. Foreign ministers from Iran, the US, UK, France, Germany and China all indicated they would continue to negotiate in the runup to Tuesday night’s deadline for agreeing the political framework for a deal. | Russian foreign ministry officials said that Lavrov had to conduct bilateral talks with unnamed neighbouring countries but added he would return to the talks venue at Lausanne as soon as Tuesday, if needed. Foreign ministers from Iran, the US, UK, France, Germany and China all indicated they would continue to negotiate in the runup to Tuesday night’s deadline for agreeing the political framework for a deal. |
| The central outstanding problems are the extent to which Iran would be allowed to carry out research and development on new centrifuge models in the last years of a deal, and – the stickiest problem by far – the lifting of UN security council sanctions. | The central outstanding problems are the extent to which Iran would be allowed to carry out research and development on new centrifuge models in the last years of a deal, and – the stickiest problem by far – the lifting of UN security council sanctions. |
| “There are still some quite important gaps,” said a western diplomat at the talks. “The core difference is on the UN security council sanctions. The UN security council resolutions have special meaning for [the Iranians].” | “There are still some quite important gaps,” said a western diplomat at the talks. “The core difference is on the UN security council sanctions. The UN security council resolutions have special meaning for [the Iranians].” |
| Iran is demanding the lifting of all UN sanctions, and all six UN security council resolutions passed under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, that categorise Iran’s nuclear programme as illegitimate and a threat to international peace and stability. | Iran is demanding the lifting of all UN sanctions, and all six UN security council resolutions passed under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, that categorise Iran’s nuclear programme as illegitimate and a threat to international peace and stability. |
| The six-nation group is offering a basket of relief measures, lifting the EU oil embargo and removing banking restrictions, in moves synchronised with the suspension of corresponding US sanctions. But it insists that some UN sanctions must stay in place until Iran has convinced the international community it has no intention of pursuing a weapons programme, a task which could take many years. | The six-nation group is offering a basket of relief measures, lifting the EU oil embargo and removing banking restrictions, in moves synchronised with the suspension of corresponding US sanctions. But it insists that some UN sanctions must stay in place until Iran has convinced the international community it has no intention of pursuing a weapons programme, a task which could take many years. |
| The question of Iranian research and development has been partially resolved. Iran has accepted strict limits on its development of new super-efficient centrifuges during the first 10 years of a deal, but after that there are differences. The six-nation group wants restrictions to extend for a further five years, wary that new centrifuges could drastically reduce Iran’s breakout time (the period it would need to build a bomb, should it make that decision). Iran rejects such prolonged curbs on its centrifuge development, saying it would render the country dependent on foreign technology. | The question of Iranian research and development has been partially resolved. Iran has accepted strict limits on its development of new super-efficient centrifuges during the first 10 years of a deal, but after that there are differences. The six-nation group wants restrictions to extend for a further five years, wary that new centrifuges could drastically reduce Iran’s breakout time (the period it would need to build a bomb, should it make that decision). Iran rejects such prolonged curbs on its centrifuge development, saying it would render the country dependent on foreign technology. |
| A third problem seems to have been largely resolved in the past few days. Iran wanted to keep some centrifuges spinning at its underground enrichment plant in Fordow. The six powers negotiating with Tehran proposed a compromise in which a few hundred centrifuges spin but do not process uranium. They would purify other elements used for medical and scientific purposes. | A third problem seems to have been largely resolved in the past few days. Iran wanted to keep some centrifuges spinning at its underground enrichment plant in Fordow. The six powers negotiating with Tehran proposed a compromise in which a few hundred centrifuges spin but do not process uranium. They would purify other elements used for medical and scientific purposes. |
| European diplomats say the next day or so will show whether Iran’s seemingly immovable stance on UN sanctions is a hardball negotiating tactic, or whether the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has left them no negotiating space. Khamenei said on his website on Monday morning: “Sanctions must be lifted in one go, not as a result of future Iranian actions.” | European diplomats say the next day or so will show whether Iran’s seemingly immovable stance on UN sanctions is a hardball negotiating tactic, or whether the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has left them no negotiating space. Khamenei said on his website on Monday morning: “Sanctions must be lifted in one go, not as a result of future Iranian actions.” |
| There are additional, related problems. The west will not consider the lifting of any UN sanctions without “snap-back” mechanisms that would immediately restore them in the event of Iranian non-compliance without the need for a security council vote. But European diplomats here say that certain permanent members represented in Lausanne, thought to include Russia and possibly China and France, jealously guard the privileges of security council membership and do not like the idea of automatic measures without their assent. Furthermore, Iran wants to know who should judge whether it is compliant and what parallel sanctions there would be for western violations. | There are additional, related problems. The west will not consider the lifting of any UN sanctions without “snap-back” mechanisms that would immediately restore them in the event of Iranian non-compliance without the need for a security council vote. But European diplomats here say that certain permanent members represented in Lausanne, thought to include Russia and possibly China and France, jealously guard the privileges of security council membership and do not like the idea of automatic measures without their assent. Furthermore, Iran wants to know who should judge whether it is compliant and what parallel sanctions there would be for western violations. |
| At this moment of impasse, the brinkmanship is beginning to show. The Iranian deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, appeared on Iranian television on Sunday night, saying that Iran would not agree to shipping out its existing stockpile of low enriched uranium, which has been seen until now as an integral part of a deal. | At this moment of impasse, the brinkmanship is beginning to show. The Iranian deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, appeared on Iranian television on Sunday night, saying that Iran would not agree to shipping out its existing stockpile of low enriched uranium, which has been seen until now as an integral part of a deal. |
| “The export of stocks of enriched uranium is not in our programme and we do not intend sending them abroad,” Araqchi said in AFP’s translation of his remarks. “There is no question of sending the stocks abroad.” | “The export of stocks of enriched uranium is not in our programme and we do not intend sending them abroad,” Araqchi said in AFP’s translation of his remarks. “There is no question of sending the stocks abroad.” |
| In response to Araqchi’s remarks, a senior state department official said there was no concrete agreement in place about what to do with the Iranian stockpile. | In response to Araqchi’s remarks, a senior state department official said there was no concrete agreement in place about what to do with the Iranian stockpile. |
| “There is no question that the disposition of their stockpile is essential to ensuring their programme is exclusively peaceful,” the official said. “There are viable options that have been under discussion for months, including shipping out the stockpile, but resolution is still being discussed.” | “There is no question that the disposition of their stockpile is essential to ensuring their programme is exclusively peaceful,” the official said. “There are viable options that have been under discussion for months, including shipping out the stockpile, but resolution is still being discussed.” |
| However, by going public with a hardline position, Araqchi broke with one of the agreements underlying the talks – not to negotiate through the press – although several delegations at the talks have given off-the-record briefings with selected details. | However, by going public with a hardline position, Araqchi broke with one of the agreements underlying the talks – not to negotiate through the press – although several delegations at the talks have given off-the-record briefings with selected details. |
| Reza Marashi, research director of the National Iranian American Council said even if the 31 March deadline is missed, none of the parties at the table would walk away. | |
| “Both sides stand to lose massively. There is a propensity to focus on minutiae, but what has got lost is how much each side has to lose,” Marashi said. “Are we going to let this collapse over differences on how long Iran isn’t allowed to work on new centrifuges?” | “Both sides stand to lose massively. There is a propensity to focus on minutiae, but what has got lost is how much each side has to lose,” Marashi said. “Are we going to let this collapse over differences on how long Iran isn’t allowed to work on new centrifuges?” |