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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Iran Says Ready for 'Immediate' Nuclear Deal if Western Powers Show Real Will

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian , seen in Beirut, Lebanon October 7, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Iran is ready to "immediately conclude" a deal in talks to revive its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers if Western powers show real will, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Saturday.

"Seriously reviewing draft of the agreement ... Our red lines are made clear to Western parties. "said Amirabdollahian on Twitter.

"Ready to immediately conclude a good deal, should they show real will," he added.

Amirabdollahian stated that he held talks with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and his deputy Enrique Mora.

A top Iranian official at the Foreign Ministry denied reports claiming the US had set a deadline for Iran to decide on the Vienna talks.

State-owned IRNA news asserted they were rumors that should be ignored.

The Supreme National Security Council meeting came three days after chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri-Kani, returned to Tehran, amid consensus among the parties that the talks had reached a critical stage.

Bagheri-Kani stated that being near the finish line is not guaranteed to achieve a nuclear deal.

Ten months into the talks, the parties achieved progress toward reviving the deal that curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, both Tehran and Washington signaled vital differences to be resolved.

Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers are pressing to be informed about the recent developments in the negotiations.

Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad said Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf attended the Supreme Council for National Security session along with other deputies, who returned to the parliament in the evening session.

Nikzad was responding to lawmakers who demanded a public session with the Foreign Ministry to discuss the nuclear negotiations in Vienna, the Ukrainian crisis, and the situation of Iranians in Kyiv, especially students.

MP Morteza Mahmoudvand warned the parliament's presidency, saying the interests of the Iranian people must be taken into consideration.

Mahmoudvand criticized the parliament for discussing the general budget instead of addressing the nuclear talks.

Lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian announced: "We may witness a nuclear agreement in the coming days." Nabavian is a member of the Article 90 committee that oversees the government's performance.

The majority of parliamentarians demanded that the government obtain guarantees in any agreement that leads to the Vienna talks after Reuters quoted an Iranian official saying that Tehran had shown flexibility by agreeing to "inherent guarantees."

Last week, Reuters reported that Iran agreed to stop 20 and 60 percent enrichment and agreed with Washington to release US prisoners in Tehran in exchange for freeing its frozen assets abroad.

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami announced that Iran would continue to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity even after sanctions are lifted, and a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers is revived.

"(Uranium) enrichment ... continues with a maximum ceiling of 60 percent, which led Westerners to rush to negotiations, and it will continue with the lifting of sanctions by both 20 percent and 5 percent," Eslami stated.

Furthermore, the IRNA news agency noted that Bagheri-Kani would not agree to any agreement if he did not obtain valid guarantees to avoid repeating previous experiences.

The news agency stressed that concluding any new agreement must ensure that any new administration or pro-Israel congressman will not violate it.

The agency stated that Iran informed the Omani Foreign Minister, Badr al-Busaidi, of its "position and views" on the nuclear negotiations.

IRNA reported that Busaidi is on an official visit to Tehran to deliver a message from the Sultan of Oman to the Iranian president, causing speculation about its importance.

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