On Monday, 1 November, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced the joint statement by the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States emphasising their concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.
According to the spokesman, this statement “[does] not correspond with reality” and will not bring about “constructive results”.
On 30 October, French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had expressed their “grave and growing concern” faced with the accelerated pace of the “provocative” measures taken by Iran, citing the production of highly enriched uranium and enriched uranium metal. “Iran has no credible civilian need for either measure, but both are important to nuclear weapons programs”, the leaders explained in the statement, which was issued after a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Rome.
“Production of uranium metal and high-enriched uranium, as previously stated, was for peaceful purposes and had civilian uses”, the Iranian spokesman stated in reply.
In their statement, the Western leaders felt that the Iranian measures “have only been made more alarming” by the fact that the country has simultaneously decreased its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the transparency it had evinced towards this agency. In their view, Iran’s continued nuclear advances and the obstacles the country imposes on the IAEA’s work will jeopardize the possibility of a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
US and EU leaders felt that the current situation underscored the need for a negotiated solution that would enable Iran and the United States to return to full compliance with the JCPOA and that would lay the groundwork for continued diplomatic dialogue intending to resolve other areas of concern. “We are convinced that it is possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to full compliance and to ensure for the long term that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes”, they said.
“We expect Iran to return to the negotiating table. But the clock is ticking”, warned the German chancellor.
The leaders reiterated that returning to the agreement will allow sanctions to be lifted, which will have a lasting impact on Iran’s economic growth. “This will only be possible if Iran changes course”, they warned, calling on Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to seize this opportunity and resume a good-faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a matter of urgency. “That is the only sure way to avoid a dangerous escalation, which is not in any country’s interest”, in their opinion.
They also said they were determined to continue working closely with Russia, China, and the EU High Representative to resolve this critical issue.
Negotiations are expected to resume by the end of the month.
See the Western statement: https://bit.ly/3CDe6OR (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)