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Iran Awaits US Response to Nuclear Talks ‘Solutions’ Submitted to Mora

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pictured at a May 9, 2022 press conference. (AFP)
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pictured at a May 9, 2022 press conference. (AFP)
    London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Iran Awaits US Response to Nuclear Talks ‘Solutions’ Submitted to Mora

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pictured at a May 9, 2022 press conference. (AFP)
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pictured at a May 9, 2022 press conference. (AFP)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said diplomatic efforts to revive the nuclear agreement have “taken steps forward” when compared to the stalemate before Enrique Mora, the European Union’s nuclear talks coordinator, visited Tehran last week.

Mora had held two days of discussions with Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri in Tehran last week, leading the EU to say talks had been unblocked.

Nevertheless, Khatibzadeh said on Monday that Iran awaited the US response to “solutions” discussed with the EU envoy for breaking a deadlock in talks aimed at restoring the 2015 deal.

The negotiations, aimed at bringing the US back into the deal and Iran to full compliance with it, had stalled for about two months.

“Serious and result-oriented negotiations with special initiatives from Iran were held,” Khatibzadeh told reporters.

“If the US gives its response to some of the solutions that were proposed, we can be in the position that all sides return to Vienna,” where the talks are held, he added during his weekly press briefing.

“If the US announces its political decision today, which we have not yet received, we can say that an important step has been taken in the progress of the negotiations,” Khatibzadeh also noted.

Iran has been engaged in direct negotiations with France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and China to revive the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US has participated indirectly.

The agreement gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic bomb

Broad outlines of a deal were agreed in March, but the agreement stumbled over Russian and Iranian last-minute demands.

Khatibzadeh pointed out that Mora’s visit came after a phone call between the EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, reported the state-run Mehr news agency.

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Taiwanese Rally For, Against the Recall of Opposition Lawmakers Seen as Close to China

A Taiwan flag can be seen at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
A Taiwan flag can be seen at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
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Taiwanese Rally For, Against the Recall of Opposition Lawmakers Seen as Close to China

A Taiwan flag can be seen at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
A Taiwan flag can be seen at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

Threats from China and anger over legislative deadlock are dominating Taiwan's political discourse as residents rally for and against a campaign to recall two dozen opposition Nationalist Party lawmakers in polling to be held on Saturday.

Thousands of supporters of the independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party turned out in the heart of the capital Taipei on Thursday to hear from civil society activists, writers, musicians and others who support the recalls, which could potentially give the party, also known as the DPP, a majority in the legislature.

The DPP won last year’s presidential election, but came up short in the legislature, The AP news reported.

Since then, the China-friendly Nationalists, also known as the KMT, and their allies have sought to hobble the power of the executive and blocked key legislation, especially the defense budget.

That has been seen as undermining both Taiwan’s hard-won democracy and its ability to deter China’s threat to invade the island it considers its own territory. Those concerns prompted activists to campaign for recall votes in the districts where Nationalists were seen as most vulnerable, and they succeeded in 24 districts where votes are scheduled this weekend.

A recall measures must win 40% of the constituents in a district to succeed, after which a special election will be held to fill the seat, in which all parties can compete.

The KMT and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party together hold a majority in the parliament with 62 seats, while the ruling DPP holds 51 seats.

The KMT on Thursday sent some of its best known politicians, including the mayor of Taipei, the speaker of the legislature and the party chairman, out to urge voters to oppose the recall. It also planned a rally in Taipei on Friday. The KMT calls the measure a power grab by the DPP and a threat to multi-party democracy.

Perhaps more than any issue, China has loomed over the campaign, with both its officials and state media dismissing the recall effort as a further futile attempt to preclude what they call the inevitability of Beijing's annexation of Taiwan, either by military or peaceful means.

On Taiwan, it has brought out differences between Taiwanese who favor pursuing the current path and those who seek accommodation with Beijing. China-friendly politicians have been accused of selling out Taiwan for accepting trips to the mainland and meetings with Chinese politicians, while they defend themselves as keeping open lines of communication in light of Beijing's refusal to interact with the DPP.

The recall campaign — Taiwan's first — was prompted by anti-KMT groups alarmed by the party's closeness with China, corruption and the KMT's refusal to work with President Lai Ching-te's administration.

They first needed to gather signatures from 10% of voters in each district, targeting legislators seen as particularly vulnerable or controversial and under China's influence. Each campaign seeking to unseat a single legislator required a huge organizational effort, limiting the number of KMT lawmakers targeted.

The KMT is primed to contest any special elections that must be called within six months, raising the possibility that they could win back the seats, and the DPP, although enlivened by the campaign, could still remain in the minority.