So how is Iran's nuclear negotiating team doing? Judging by
comments from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, President Rouhani and his negotiating squad are walking the diplomatic tightrope
quite well. Ironically, as this news item from Iran's state-run Kayhan points
out, Iran and Israel are in complete agreement about one thing: the deal
reached in Geneva guarantees uranium enrichment on Iranian soil.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's comments in support of President Rouhani and the country's nuclear negotiators should serve to give Iran's more moderate president more time - at least six month's worth.
TEHRAN:
On Sunday, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,
said the deal reached with the world powers in Geneva is the basis for further
progress, adding that the prayers of the Iranian nation had contributed to its achievement.
"This
can be the basis for further prudent measures. Without a doubt, the grace of
God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success,"
Ayatollah Khamenei wrote, after receiving a congratulatory letter from
President Hassan Rouhani.
Ayatollah
Khamenei thanked the Iran negotiating team, describing their achievement as
“praiseworthy,” and called on negotiators to continue resisting any excessive
demands.
"The
nuclear negotiating team should be thanked and appreciated for its achievement.
Resistance to excessive demands should be their guiding principle," the leader
added.
In
his letter, Rouhani told the leader, “Undoubtedly,
this breakthrough is a result of God's blessings, your guidelines and the unwavering
support of the Iranian nation.”
Shortly
afterwards, President Rouhani addressed the nation on
national TV, saying that the agreement reflected acceptance of the principle of
Iranian uranium enrichment. He also said the breakthrough deal showed that
punitive sanctions slapped on Iran over its controversial nuclear program were beginning
to crumble.
"Iran's
right to enrich uranium on its own soil was accepted by the world powers in
this nuclear agreement," he said. The sanctions regime will begin to shatter
with the (implementation) of this agreement," Rouhani
said, adding that the Geneva talks had created "cracks" in the
structure of sanctions.
In
his letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Rouhani said the
agreement was in the interests of the region and world peace.
"This
agreement benefits all countries in the region and global peace," FARS
quoted Rouhani in the letter. "Iran's nuclear
and enrichment rights were recognized by the world powers."
On
Twitter, the Iranian president forecast that the deal would "open new
horizons."
The
deal was made possible thanks to the "Iranian people's vote for moderation,"
Rouhani said, referring to his surprise election
victory in June against a pool of conservative opponents.
The
talks had hit snags over a few points of difference, including Iran's
insistence to have what it calls its "right" to enrich uranium to be
recognized by the six major powers.
The
White House says such a right was not part of the deal, although a senior
Iranian negotiator, AbbasAraqchi,
said Iran's "enrichment program" had been recognized.
Foreign
Minister Muhammad JavadZarif,
speaking to Iranian journalists, said recognition is implicit, as it is
included in Article Four of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory.
President
Rouhani, however, said the Islamic Republic's right
to enrichment is “explicitly” stated in the deal, and adds that Iran, as a signatory
to the NPT, has the inherent right to enrich uranium.
Nevertheless, the recognition of this right by the world powers is “politically
valuable.”
He
also said that Iran's enrichment activities would continue, adding that the
activities at Natanz, Fordow,
Arak and Isfahan, as well as the facilities at Bandar
Abbas, would be maintained.
According
to Rouhani, as a result of negotiations, the world
powers have realized that sanctions against Iran are futile, and that only
respect for the Iranian nation would prove effectual.
“The
administration of hope and prudence seeks to create an atmosphere of trust
between the Islamic Republic and countries interested in having friendly
relations with our great nation.”
The
president said that comprehensive nuclear talks would begin immediately, and
that with a comprehensive agreement, all sanctions against Iran, including
those imposed by the U.N. and unilateral sanctions imposed by the European Union
and the United States, would be gradually removed.
“The
deal states that all sanctions will be lifted on a step-by-step basis as
negotiations continue,” Rouhani said.
Zionists Cry
Foul
The
occupying regime of Israel and some Republicans in the U.S. Congress called the
nuclear deal hammered out between Iran and the world powers "extremely dangerous,"
despite assurances from the United States that the pact would safeguard America's
allies in the region.
"What
was achieved last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement. It was a
historic mistake," Zionist [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
told a cabinet meeting Sunday morning.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
The
occupying regime's hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman said, "The world has to understand that this is the biggest
diplomatic victory Iran has had in recent years. ... There's no doubt that the
agreement recognizes Iran's right to enrich uranium,” he said.
The
Obama Administration also faces skeptics in Congress. Reaction poured in late
Saturday and early Sunday and appeared to be divided along party lines. Representative
Ed Royce, Republican of California and chair of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, warned that the deal falls short of the standard ofprotecting the United States and its allies.
"Instead
of rolling back Iran's program, Tehran would be able to keep the key elements
of its nuclear weapons-making capability. Yet we are the ones doing the
dismantling - relieving Iran of the sanctions pressure built up over
years," Royce said in a statement.
House
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican of Virginia, echoed these concerns,
saying in a statement that he found it "troubling" that the agreement
"still permits Iranians to continue enriching."
Netanyahu's
public denunciations of the interim deal have strained relations with
Washington, especially Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.
Issac Herzog, newly-elected leader of the
occupying regime's main opposition Labor Party, said, “Netanyahu must do
everything possible to repair the damage caused by this public clash with the United
States and resume an intimate relationship with President Obama and other world
leaders.” [translated quote].
China,
Germany, Russia, France and Britain hailed the deal between Iran and the P5+1 over
Tehran's nuclear energy program.
China
said the agreement with Tehran would "help safeguard peace and stability
in the Middle East." German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
said the nuclear deal marks “a turning point,” and Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov stressed that it would benefit all
sides. "No one has lost. Everyone ends up winning," he said.
Meanwhile,
French President Francois Hollande called the deal "an important step in
the right direction."
