Today, Tuesday, the eighth round of Iranian nuclear negotiations will resume in Vienna, following consultations conducted by delegations with their governments, while Republican members of the US Senate said that they would work to block any new nuclear agreement with Iran, if President Joe Biden did not allow Congress to be informed. on him.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian preceded the session by calling on the West to take serious and effective decisions regarding lifting sanctions on his country, while the Secretary of Iran's National Security Council said that the Vienna process would not be passable if Washington did not stop its delusions.
Abdullahian added, during his meeting with his Finnish counterpart in Tehran, that he hopes to move closer during this round of negotiations to achieving an agreement, considering that reaching an agreement is linked to the decision of the European trio and the United States of America, stressing that Tehran will not bargain for lifting sanctions.
As for the Iranian government spokesman, he said that Tehran is not seeking a temporary agreement, and the basis of the government's work is to reach a good agreement with sufficient guarantees.
The need for concessions
On the other hand, the European coordinator of the Vienna talks, Enrique Mora, said that the eighth round, which will resume today, needs concessions in order to fully implement the nuclear agreement.
The European Coordinator stressed the need for a spirit of compromise to bring all parties back to the full implementation of the agreement, and said that in light of the various undesirable trends, there was a need to conclude the nuclear negotiations quickly.
On Friday, Washington took the initiative to restore exemptions related to Iran's civilian nuclear program, a necessary step to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement or the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."
The exemption allows other countries and companies to participate in Iran's civilian nuclear program without imposing US sanctions on them, in the context of enhancing safety and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Negotiators from Britain, France and Germany said - in a joint statement on Saturday - that this step "would facilitate the technical discussions necessary to support the talks, to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Vienna."
But Iran considered that these US measures to lift the sanctions imposed on it are still "insufficient".
congressional approval
In a parallel context, a group of 33 Republican members of the US Senate notified President Biden that they would work to block any new nuclear agreement with Iran, if his government did not allow Congress to review and vote on its terms.
In a letter to Biden, he told senators led by Ted Cruz, a longtime opponent of the nuclear deal, that they would use "the full range of options and influence available to them" to ensure his government abides by US laws governing any new deal with Iran.
Cruz and other senior Republican senators told Biden that implementation of any new agreement would be "significantly, if not permanently, hampered" if he did not meet legal obligations aimed at ensuring congressional oversight of amendments or changes to the nuclear deal. 2015.
Members of Congress have not provided any details of their plans, but Republicans often use various tactics to slow other legislation or suspend Biden's candidates for various positions, including many ambassadorial positions.
The Senate is divided into 50 Republican seats and 50 Democrats, but Vice President Kamala Harris - who is from the Democratic Party - has the decisive voice in any tie between the two parties.
But Democrats may lose control of the Senate and House of Representatives in the midterm elections scheduled for later this year.