Tehran has dispatched a comprehensive delegation to Geneva for the second round of negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says, stressing that Iran sees no benefit in prolonging the talks.
Tehran – IranView24
In an exclusive interview with IRNA published shortly before the Iranian delegation’s departure for Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday, Baghaei said, “In this round of negotiations, we will attend with a full team; a political, legal, economic, and technical team.”
“From our side, all the experts and representatives necessary to comment on and decide about the various dimensions of an understanding are present,” he said.
He emphasized that Tehran seeks to conclude the negotiations within the shortest possible timeframe and has therefore ensured the presence of all required specialists in Geneva.
“We are negotiating under conditions of complete suspicion and mistrust. We have previous experiences, and we are not permitted under any circumstances to take these experiences even for a moment out of our sight,” he said.
Baghaei added that Iran’s positions are being advanced within frameworks defined by higher authorities, noting that the diplomatic apparatus has played its “natural role” in drafting those guidelines.
He said the Geneva talks will be a continuation of discussions previously held in Oman, expressing hope that the negotiations would best secure the country’s interests.
Referring to Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani’s recent trips to Muscat and Doha, Baghaei said the visits were part of pre-planned diplomatic consultations with neighbors and regional countries, adding that it was natural for the negotiations to be among the topics discussed during such engagements.
Baghaei said Iran’s negotiating framework is “completely clear,” underlining that the Islamic Republic remains a committed member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), accepting both its obligations and its rights.
“Our right under Article 4 of the treaty is the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and enrichment is also considered part of that,” he said. “That the level of enrichment should be how much, to what extent, and how many centrifuges we should have are matters that naturally we have not yet reached those details.”
He noted that the 12-day war imposed by Israel and the US on Iran significantly altered certain aspects of the situation.
“The attack on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities was a criminal act that had its own specific consequences. Therefore, we are now facing new conditions in this new round, but the subject is the same; that is, the subject remains nuclear.”
According to Baghaei, the other side attempted through “illegal means” to achieve its objectives but failed.
“The attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is in no way justifiable on any logical, legal or moral basis, but our subject of discussion remains the nuclear issue,” he said, adding that the blow dealt to diplomacy and the damage inflicted on the diplomatic process were “irreparable.”
He also criticized shifting and contradictory US positions, saying, “The problem we have is the change in views and contradictory positions; not only from the negotiators, but from some other American officials.”
“They send completely contradictory signals and messages, none of which indicate seriousness,” he added.
Referring to Washington’s “moving of the goalpost,” Baghaei said the absence of basic commitments to a diplomatic process, such as adhering to declared negotiating positions, has complicated the talks.
Still, he offered a cautious assessment, saying that “based on what has been told to us,” the US position on Iran’s nuclear issue appears to be “moving toward greater realism.”
“For us, time is important,” he stated. “Our people are under pressure from unjust sanctions and reason and logic dictate that we should be able to lift these sanctions as soon as possible. Therefore, there is no benefit in prolonging the negotiations. As I said, we enter any diplomatic process with a result-oriented approach.”
