Top Iran
Officials say U.S. Midterms have 'No Effect' on Nuclear Deal (FARS News Agency,
Iran)
Does the
Republican wave last night threaten one of the Obama Administration's primary
foreign policy objectives? According to this news item from the state-run FARS News
Agency, senior Iranian officials have made it clear that the U.S. midterm
election results will have absolutely no impact on reaching an agreement with
Iran on its nuclear program, where negotiations have a deadline at the end of
this month.
TEHRAN: Senior cabinet officials said that U.S. Senate
elections, which have ended in victory for Republicans, will have no
significant impact on nuclear talks between Tehran and the world powers.
"The victory of the Republicans in the U.S. Senate
elections will have no effect on nuclear talks," Minister of
Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi
told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Stressing that Iranian negotiators have unstintingly
respected Iran's red lines during nuclear talks with their counterparts from
the Group 5+1 (the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany), he
said, "There is no behind-the-scenes deal with the G5+1."
The minister also added that major steps have been taken in negotiations
between Iran and the sextet.
Prior to Vaezi's comments, Deputy
Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office for Political Affairs HamidAboutalebi expressed the
same view, stressing that Washington knows that Iran plays a vital and
irreplaceable role in the region and that both Democratic and Republican
parties know that the United States is in need of striking a final nuclear deal
with Tehran.
"Now, both U.S. parties need Iran for the 2016
presidential election, especially the Republicans, who are trying to create a
change in foreign policy," Aboutalebi wrote on
his twitter page on Wednesday.
"Therefore, both parties will be after reaching a
nuclear agreement and strategic cooperation with Iran on regional issues, especially
in fighting ISIL," he added.
Yet, the presidential aide underlined that Washington is obliged
to respect the right of the Iranian nation, admit to the regional influence of Iran
and accept the country as the central actor in regional interactions if it
wants Tehran's cooperation.
His remarks came after U.S. Republicans made significant
gains in midterm elections, capturing a majority of seats to take control of
the U.S. Senate.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
With a win in Iowa, the Republican Party picked up at least
six Senate seats to guarantee at least 51 members of the 100-member chamber,
while bppsting the party's majority in the House of
Representatives.
Republicans romped to victory against incumbent Democrats in
Arkansas and Colorado, and snatched the seats of retiring opponents in Montana,
South Dakota and West Virginia.
Top Republican Mitch McConnell was re-elected in Kentucky
and the party is also said to have retained two seats in South Carolina.
The Republicans gain the Senate majority after Iran and the
six major world powers have already held eight rounds of nuclear talks. After
inking an interim agreement in Geneva last November, the parties have less than
three weeks to strike a final deal before a Nov. 24 deadline. The 9th round of talks
is due to be held in Masqat, Oman, on Nov. 11.
The Geneva agreement took effect on Jan. 20 and expired six
months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six powers agreed to extend
negotiations until Nov. 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number
of key issues.
