Araqchi Reveals ‘Understanding’ to Lift Sanctions on Iranian Sectors

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, attends a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 1, 2020. (Reuters)
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, attends a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 1, 2020. (Reuters)
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Araqchi Reveals ‘Understanding’ to Lift Sanctions on Iranian Sectors

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, attends a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 1, 2020. (Reuters)
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, attends a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 1, 2020. (Reuters)

On the eve of the third round of Vienna talks aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, which the Trump administration abandoned in 2018, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi informed deputies Sunday of an understanding regarding the removal of some sanctions imposed on Tehran.

In a report to parliament’s National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee about the negotiations that started earlier this month, Araqchi explained that the US has imposed two types of sanctions on Iran: first, thematic or so-called partial sanctions, such as on the oil, banking, insurance, shipping, petrochemicals, building and automobile sectors, and others on people and entities.

He revealed that sanctions on individuals include 1,500 cases.

“Negotiations are underway on both types; the partial sanctions and those on individuals should be lifted,” he said.

He hoped the nuclear talks will proceed until they reach tangible results, leading to the termination of the US sanctions.

“It is still too soon to judge the outcome of these talks, or say whether we are optimistic or skeptical, but we are paving the right path,” he added.

In response to a question about the views of the parties and the US regarding Iran's proposed list for lifting sanctions, Araqchi said this debate is ongoing. He hoped that disputes between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be resolved in a constructive non-political atmosphere.

“Our cooperation with the agency continues. We have disputes with the agency in different fields, but the cooperation is proceeding on its natural path,” he said.



Iran Guards Chief Says Netanyahu ICC Warrant 'Political Death' of Israel

Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP
Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP
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Iran Guards Chief Says Netanyahu ICC Warrant 'Political Death' of Israel

Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP
Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Friday described the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defense minister as the “end and political death” of Israel, in a speech.
“This means the end and political death of the Zionist regime, a regime that today lives in absolute political isolation in the world and its officials can no longer travel to other countries,” Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami said in the speech aired on state TV.
In the first official reaction by Iran, Salami called the ICC warrant “a welcome move” and a “great victory for the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements,” both supported by the Islamic republic, AFP reported.
The court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif.
The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant were issued in response to accusations of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The ICC’s move theoretically limits the movement of Netanyahu, as any of the court’s 124 national members would be obliged to arrest him on their territory.
The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan urged the body’s members to act on the warrants, and for non-members to work together in “upholding international law.”