Iran’s then-President Hassan Rouhani declared at the time that talks had progressed so far that there were no remaining substantive obstacles to the deal’s restoration. An even grimmer picture emerges when one considers Ali Bagheri Kani, Raisi’s point man in the nuclear talks. Both in the lead-up and during the nuclear negotiations that led to the nuclear deal in 2015, he allowed for direct, at times secret, talks between diplomats from the two countries. It calls for competent diplomats who recognize the difference between what is desirable, what is just, and what is materially possible. Furthermore, Amir-Abdollahian recently spoke of his intention to utilize the “expertise” and “capacities” of former Iranian diplomats who took part in the previous nuclear talks, as well as scholars with expert knowledge on the deal.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 18, 2021 13:27 UTC