Iran-P5+1 Negotiations: Too Many Red Lines

Observers say the current problem lies in how to reconcile the red lines.

After a ceremonial plenary session on November 20, Iran and the P5+1 group began discussing the details of a proposed interim agreement on Iran’s nuclear program today. All sides came to the negotiating table in an effort to “reconcile red lines” in order to reach a compromise.

Iranian students during a protest to protect the country's nuclear program outside the Fordo uranium enrichment facility on November 19 (Photo: AFP)

Speaking to reporters after the plenary session, Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, described the meeting as going smoothly. “This was a very positive session. Overall, there was a determination on both sides to push ahead with the negotiations and reach an agreement this week,” Ashton said.

The third round of talks is expected to last three days, with the sides hoping to reach a landmark six-month interim deal that would place limits on Iran’s nuclear program. In return, Western countries would ease sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.

Details of the proposal have not been disclosed, but according to Mr. Michael Mann, the whole world knows clearly what the main challenges are, especially the issue of uranium enrichment, the right to develop nuclear weapons that Iran has always called for to be recognized, while the West has rejected it because it suspects that this country is trying to build a nuclear bomb.

Therefore, the main issues of discussion will concern the cessation of uranium enrichment, as well as the fate of Iran's 186 kg of 20% enriched uranium and the Arak heavy water reactor.

A Western diplomatic source said that the current problem lies in how to reconcile the red lines while each side continuously makes statements that increase tensions surrounding the negotiations.

On November 20, just before the talks resumed in Geneva, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated that the country will not make concessions on issues related to nuclear rights. In his televised remarks, the Ayatollah also highlighted “red lines” on Iran’s nuclear program, including uranium enrichment on Iranian soil and refusing to close the underground Fordo uranium enrichment plant.

On the same day, French President Francois Hollande urged Iran to provide “answers and not provocations,” while US Secretary of State John Kerry rejected any deal that would buy Iran time and fail to address the international community’s fundamental concerns.

“The United States will not accept an agreement that is only a temporary one. The question of whether Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium will not be raised in the interim agreement. This depends on negotiations, on a process. We are only at the first stage to determine whether a first step can be taken,” Mr. Hollande stressed.

According to US diplomatic sources in Geneva, in an effort to reassure hard-line lawmakers in Congress who want to increase sanctions against Iran and appease Israel, an important ally in the region, the US administration can only offer "very limited" concessions to Iran. The easing of sanctions will mainly focus on lifting the blockade on Iranian accounts abroad. Many Western diplomats are also cautious when mentioning the possibility of reaching an agreement before the end of this week, saying that the negotiations still have many red lines./.

According to VOV