No breakthrough in nuclear talks as Iran demands more after U.S. exit

[rooster59]

No breakthrough in nuclear talks as Iran demands more after U.S. exit

By Parisa Hafezi, John Irish and Francois Murphy

 

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a meeting in Vienna, Austria July 6, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

 

VIENNA (Reuters) - World powers and Iran appeared to make no concrete breakthrough on Friday in talks to provide Tehran with an economic package to compensate for U.S. sanctions that begin taking effect in August.

 

Ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia met their Iranian counterpart in Vienna for the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump left a nuclear accord in May, but diplomats had seen limited scope for salvaging it.

 

Trump pulled the United States out of the multinational deal under which sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear programme verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Washington has since told countries they must stop buying the OPEC producer's oil from Nov. 4 or face financial consequences.

 

Speaking after three hours of talks, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired the talks, read a statement from the six delegations repeating previously-announced broad priorities ranging from guaranteeing Iranian oil revenue to shipping ties, banking and all other trade and investment co-operation.

 

"Participants agreed to keep progress under close review and to reconvene the joint commission, including at ministerial level, as appropriate in order to advance common efforts," Mogherini said, adding that all sides were determined to find and implement solutions.

 

Unlike at past meetings, Mogherini took no questions.

 

"All the commitments made today , should be implemented before the August deadline ... it is up to the leadership in Tehran to decide whether Iran should remain in the deal ... the proposal was not precise and a complete one," Mohammed Javad Zarif told reporters.

Speaking earlier in the day, France's foreign minister said that world powers would struggle to keep to that deadline.

 

"They (Iran) must stop threatening to break their commitments to the nuclear deal," Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

 

"We are trying to do it (economic package) before sanctions are imposed at the start of August and then the next set of sanctions in November. For August it seems a bit short, but we are trying to do it by November," he said.

 

On arrival in Vienna, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said he didn't expect a collapse of talks, but suggested more negotiations would be needed in the future. He stressed hat world powers would struggle to compensate Tehran for companies leaving Iran.

 

The pillars of the European Union's strategy are: European Investment Bank lending, a special measure to shield EU companies from U.S. secondary sanctions, and a Commission proposal that EU governments make direct money transfers to Iran's central bank to avoid U.S. penalties.

 

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"We've made some progress, including on safeguarding some crude (oil) sales, but it's unlikely to meet Iranian expectations. It's also not just about what the Europeans can do, but also how the Chinese, Russians, Indians, others can contribute," said a senior European diplomat.

 

Iranian officials have said that key for them is to ensure measures that guarantee oil exports do not halt, and that Tehran still has access to the SWIFT international bank payments messaging system or an alternative.

 

"We are ready for all possible scenarios ... the collapse of the deal will increase the tension in the region. To save the deal, other signatories should compensate for U.S. sanctions," a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.

 

During a visit to Europe this week President Hassan Rouhani warned that Iran could reduce its co-operation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, having already threatened Trump of the "consequences" of fresh sanctions against Iranian oil sales.

 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have also warned that they may block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. calls to ban all Iranian oil exports.

 

On the nuclear side of the agreement the parties did agree to replace the United States in a working group to redesign the Arak reactor with China.

 

The deal specifies that the new design will aim to minimise the production of plutonium and to prevent the production of weapon-grade plutonium in normal operation. It also specifies the fuel Arak must use and says its spent fuel for the reactor's lifetime must be shipped out of Iran.

 

For a graphic on Iran's nuclear activity, click on https://tmsnrt.rs/2rvkaq6

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-07

 

 

[phantomfiddler]

Why should anyone be giving these bunch of a*s*h*l*s anything ? After they took the Us Embassy staff as hostages tehran should have been turned into a parking lot !

[bristolboy]

9 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Why should anyone be giving these bunch of a*s*h*l*s anything ? After they took the Us Embassy staff as hostages tehran should have been turned into a parking lot !

What the Iranian government  should have done is beat an American to death like the North Koreans did. Had they done that, Trump and the mullas would now be besties.

[The Theory]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

Why should anyone be giving these bunch of a*s*h*l*s anything ? After they took the Us Embassy staff as hostages tehran should have been turned into a parking lot !

Ask president Carter, he is still there.

unfortunately president Reagan is not. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/10/ayatollah-khomeini-jimmy-carter-administration-iran-revolution

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Contra_affair

 

 

Hopefully President Trump will do something right about this. Will see.

EU just want to protect their own investments and long term deals with Iran. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2018 by The Theory

[Morch]

From the OP:

 

Quote

"We are trying to do it (economic package) before sanctions are imposed at the start of August and then the next set of sanctions in November. For August it seems a bit short, but we are trying to do it by November," he said.

 

I wasn't and I'm not in favor of the Trump administration withdrawal from the JCPOA. IMO, it would have been preferable to preserve the framework, and if felt necessary, try to amend it.

 

Regardless of how one feels about it, some things cannot be denied. Early comments were skeptical about the US reintroducing sanctions - without wide international participation, and factoring in Trump's foreign policy/trade issues - would be shrugged off, ignored or have little effect.

 

Two months down the line, firms are either hesitant about dealing with Iran or pulling out. The Iranian economy is in shambles. And the other signatories are far from coming up with workable solutions. And that's even without the August sanctions kicking in. Like it or not, even in it's current, supposedly diminished state, the US seems to have quite a leverage. A good lesson to bear in mind.

 

In the same way, regardless of how one feels about Trump's foreign policy - there are instances in which going solo does give some advantages. Mainly, being able to quickly call shots. Without getting into the question of whether them shots are on-mark or wise - the sheer pace at which they come, and their magnitude (compared to previous practices) seems to leave other players reeling, or scrambling for solutions (which in their case, often requires group action and hence slower/less decisive).

 

Two months, and for all the high talk, no good solutions. None projected to materialize a month forward, and possibly not even in four months' time. I think many people don't realize how much international cooperation relies on US participation and leadership.

[IAMHERE]

11 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

Why should anyone be giving these bunch of a*s*h*l*s anything ? After they took the Us Embassy staff as hostages tehran should have been turned into a parking lot !

And the Iranians know that ! That is why they want so much a Nuclear Deterrent. America should be negotiating with Russia and China that a nuclear war in the Middle East stays in the Middle East. Of course, anyone can join after one begins but keep your targets in the Middle East.

[Peasandmash]

these poor devils... just kidding, they are just devils.