While Western delegation leaders in Vienna talks hope to sign a nuclear deal in Vienna this week, Russia has submitted a surprising new demand that could torpedo progress on the agreement: Russia demands from the US written guarantees that Russia’s sanctions on Ukraine will not hurt Russia-Iran cooperation.
The Chinese delegation also hastened to file a written guarantee that Chinese companies doing business with Iran would not be harmed by US sanctions. This is the first time the two delegations have involved Ukrainian and Iranian nuclear issues.
An Iranian government official told Reuters that the Russian demand was “not constructive.” He said Russia had put the demand on the table in Vienna two days ago, “and it is clear that Russia is changing its position and is interested in preserving interests in another arena.” In this context, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the West must take into account Russia’s interests and that the sanctions “create a problem for Moscow.”
Prior to the new Russian demands, the heads of British and French delegations announced at the Vienna talks over the weekend that Vienna talks were close to reaching a new nuclear deal. Diplomats from France, Britain and Germany went to their capitals over the weekend to consult with the ministers concerned. Frenchman Philippe Arra tweeted: “We are very, very, very close to the agreement.”
Reuters reports that prior to the signing of the agreement, US and Iranian representatives may agree to sit down together around the table in Vienna, but there are no such plans yet. Russian Mikhail Ulyanov said: “We may have an agreement in the middle of the week. We are talking about final efforts before crossing the finish line. “
“On Saturday, the director general of the Atomic Energy Commission, Rafael Grossi, arrived in Tehran, and according to the Iranian news agency, he intends to discuss the establishment of an investigative mechanism for the supervision of nuclear sites.” An agreement on this will pave the way for a nuclear agreement. ”
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington last week: “We are ready to withdraw from the talks if Iran acts stubbornly and uncompromisingly on the road to progress towards an agreement.”