According to the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister,
Abbas Araghchi, all Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement
documents were almost ready. He said it on Sunday after the end of the sixth
round of talks.
He, however, added, “but it requires decisions that
mainly have to be made by the negotiating sides in Vienna,” in the same breath.
The Iranians were pretty optimistic than ever before
about the possibility of striking a deal during the last round of talks, the
sixth, since the new US administration took the reins of power.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the outgoing Iranian foreign
minister, for instance, was in an upbeat mood in the aftermath of the
presidential elections about the success at the discussions in Vienna.
Judging by the moods of both sides and reading
between the lines of their communique, it’s clear that signatories have begun
exercising flexibility not to let the deal collapse.
When the head of the Iranian delegation says that
the ‘document’ is almost ready, on the way back to Tehran, Iranian capital, he
is seeking the approval of both the newly elected president and of course, the Supreme
Leader with whom the final say in any matter lies.
Although, the core sanctions that hurt the Iranian
economy still remain, the US has already removed some sanctions against some
Iranian individuals; in addition, the US
Treasury Department recently issued guidance easing the way for delivery of
products such as face masks, ventilators, and vaccines to combat the
coronavirus pandemic to heavily sanctioned countries like Iran, Venezuela, and
Syria.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister did not say when
exactly the next round of talks would resume; nor did he say this time whether
that would be the final!
The continuation of talks, however, shows that all
those involved in the discussions are determined to strike a deal; the main
stumbling block has been the concerns of what Iran describes as the ‘West Asian
regimes’.
The crude oil markets, meanwhile, are watching the
latest development closely; they, perhaps, miscalculated the impact of the
newly elected Iranian president on the outcome at the discussions in Vienna.
Iranian media says that Ebrahim Raisi, the newly
elected president of Iran, is a pragmatist despite his ultra conservative
credentials. He has already promised to create jobs for the youth as one of his
top priorities; a pragmatist cannot afford to let the talks fail, as the
outcome is directly correlated to the revival of Iranian battered economy.
His response to the ‘document’ that the deputy foreign
minister referred to, will be the first indication about the direction that he
is prepared to take the new Iranian administration in the choppy waters of
international diplomacy.
