SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Iran MPs demand Western guarantees in nuclear talks
Tehran, Feb 20 (AFP) Feb 20, 2022
Iranian MPs urged the government Sunday to secure Western guarantees at Vienna talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, state media reported, amid signs a deal could be close.

In a letter addressed to President Ebrahim Raisi and read at parliament, 250 MPs out of the 290-strong assembly, set out several conditions for reaching a deal.

It came amid growing signs over the weekend that a deal could be struck between Iran and world powers, including the United States.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the "moment of truth" has arrived for Tehran's leadership.

And on Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Iran may "shortly" agree a new nuclear deal with major powers.

In the letter, the Iranian MPs insisted that the United States, France, Germany and Britain must guarantee they would not withdraw from a new deal.

The Vienna talks aim to revive the 2015 accord known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The deal offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed heavy economic sanctions.

This in turn prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its commitments.

The MPs also demanded a pledge from the US and other parties to the JCPOA that they would not use a "snapback" mechanism that would reimpose sanctions on Iran in case Tehran violates its part of the deal.

"We have to learn a lesson from past experiences... by not committing to any agreement without obtaining the necessary guarantees first," the MPs said, according to state news agency IRNA.

They said Western powers must first fulfil their obligations by lifting the sanctions -- especially the ones imposed on Iranian oil and banks -- adding that once Tehran has verified that it will in turn fulfil its obligations.

The MPs also said a return to the deal should only take place if all sanctions, including on missile technology and human rights, are lifted.

Since November, Iran has been engaged in direct talks in Vienna with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly and indirectly with the United States.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
ICE-CSIC leads a pioneering study on the feasibility of asteroid mining
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Thorium plated steel points to smaller nuclear clocks
Solar ghost particles seen flipping carbon atoms in underground detector
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.