Negotiations on Iran Nuclear Deal Halted by Raisi's Election... Delegation Returns Without Gains

Iran Delegation Suspends Meeting Due to Coordination with Home Country
No Resumption Date Set... "Depends on Iran's Supreme Leader"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The 6th round of negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which resumed immediately after the Iranian presidential election, has been temporarily suspended, and delegations from various countries are reported to have decided to return to their home countries. This is interpreted as the Iranian delegation temporarily halting negotiations to coordinate opinions with their home country following the de facto confirmation of the hardline conservative faction's rise to power in Iran. With no schedule set for the resumption of talks, concerns are emerging that the nuclear deal may effectively collapse.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 20th (local time), Iran announced that it would temporarily suspend the 6th round of nuclear deal negotiations held immediately after the Iranian presidential election and that the delegations would return to their home countries. Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran and head of the Iranian delegation, said in an interview with Iranian state TV, "We are now closer to an agreement than ever before, but there is still some distance to cover, and bridging that gap is not easy," adding, "We are returning to Tehran today."

There is also analysis that the Iranian side's temporary suspension of negotiations to coordinate with their home country was influenced by the election results. In particular, hardline conservative candidate Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi won the Iranian presidential election with an overwhelming 62% support, which is presumed to have impacted Iran's leadership's foreign policy. Raisi, previously head of Iran's judiciary, is known for being placed on the U.S. sanctions list against Iran in 2019 due to his responsibility for inhumane human rights abuses such as executions and torture of prisoners.

Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, also stated in an interview with ABC on the same day, "There is still a significant gap to be narrowed between Iran and the parties regarding key issues such as sanctions and Iran's compliance," and added, "The ultimate decision on whether to return to the agreement rests with Iran's Supreme Leader." Accordingly, pessimism is growing that the Iran nuclear deal has become practically difficult.

Israel's new coalition government also criticized Raisi's election and issued a statement opposing the Iran nuclear deal. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement, "We must not hand over weapons of mass destruction to a country ruled by an executioner," emphasizing, "Israel's new government will follow the policy of the previous Benjamin Netanyahu government, which firmly opposed Iran acquiring nuclear weapons."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.