An Iranian official announced that his country is awaiting an American response to the draft agreement submitted by the European Union on the Iranian nuclear file. While a US official said that the agreement was closer, sources revealed the details of the European proposal.

Muhammad Marandi, adviser to the Iranian negotiating delegation in Vienna, said that the currently offered agreement differs from the one that Iran witnessed 7 or 8 months ago, adding - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that his country is waiting for the American response to the text of the agreement and Iranian fears, expecting that this will not take A long time.

The Iranian official indicated that Tehran was keen in the negotiations this time that there would be no loopholes that the US side would exploit for its own benefit, and that the potential agreement would be fully implemented.

On the other hand, CNN quoted a US official that reaching an agreement on Iran's nuclear program is closer now than it was two weeks ago, but he said that the outcome is still uncertain because there are some points of contention.

The US official added that Iran, in its response to the European proposal, dropped its demand to remove the Revolutionary Guards from the US terrorist lists, explaining that it was demanding compensation if the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement again.

He indicated that the White House was firm during the negotiations that it would not remove the Revolutionary Guards from the lists of terrorism.

For his part, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations, Mikhail Ulyanov, expressed his hope that an agreement would be reached to revive the nuclear agreement before the first of next September.

Waiting for the American response

The director of Al Jazeera's office in Tehran, Abdul Qader Fayez, said that Iran had not officially commented on the details of the European proposal, and added that the official Iranian position was to wait for the American response because it would clarify whether it was possible to say that an agreement was within reach.

He added that the terms of the European proposal seem to meet the minimum Iranian ambitions and may exceed this limit in some points, noting that American flexibility on the issue of the guarantees demanded by Tehran will have a significant impact towards reaching an agreement.

The director of Al Jazeera's office stated that the revealed details raised the ceiling of optimism high, and prompted some in the countries involved in the Vienna negotiations to say that the agreement is closer than ever.

On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed his opposition to the European proposal, as he saw in a letter to the White House that this proposal exceeds the limits of the 2015 nuclear agreement and does not meet the red lines of the administration of President Joe Biden, according to the American news website Axios. .


Draft agreement details

Informed sources have revealed to Al Jazeera that the European draft of the nuclear agreement includes 4 stages and two time periods for the parties to return to their commitments.

According to these sources, the European proposal includes 4 phases, and two time periods, each lasting 60 days, and includes a gradual lifting of sanctions.

The first day will witness, after the signing of the agreement, the lifting of sanctions on 17 banks and 150 economic institutions, provided that Iran will begin from the first day of implementing the agreement to gradually retract its nuclear steps, especially with regard to uranium enrichment.

According to the same sources, the implementation of the agreement will coincide with the release of $7 billion of Iranian funds in South Korea.

The European agreement also stipulates that Tehran will export 2.5 barrels of oil per day after 120 days of signing.

It also includes paying Washington a fine if it again withdrew from the nuclear deal after former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.

In addition to the above, the draft agreement includes a special formula for activating the "snapback" mechanism that allows for the re-imposition of sanctions when Iran violates the agreement, according to informed sources told Al Jazeera.

It is noteworthy that the indirect Vienna negotiations between the Iranians and the Americans regarding the revival of the 2015 agreement began in April 2021, and witnessed many ups and downs.