BICOM

It was announced over the weekend that talks between the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran to broker a long-term agreement on Tehran’s nuclear development will begin later this month.

In late January, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has begun to comply with the first step of the interim six-month deal agreed with the P5+1 and Tehran by halting the development of 20 per cent enriched uranium. In return, the P5+1 constituent countries have eased some sanctions on Iranian trade in petrochemicals and precious metals and restrictions on insurance for oil shipments.

However, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads the P5+1 delegation, announced that negotiations will take place on a longer-term agreement, saying, “We have agreed that we will start the talks on February 18 at the UN building in Vienna.” The announcement came following what she described as a “really interesting” meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Zarif also met on the sidelines of the gathering with US Secretary of State John Kerry. The US State Department said Kerry made clear that the United States would continue to enforce the remaining sanctions. Zarif then addressed the conference, saying that relations between Iran and the West are at a “historic crossroads” and that Iran “will go to those [long-term] negotiations with the political will and good faith to reach an agreement.” The Israeli delegation, including Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor were in attendance during Zarif’s speech.

Last month, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset that although the interim agreement had for now halted Iran’s enrichment of 20 per cent enriched uranium, “In a permanent agreement, the international community must get the Iranian nuclear train off the track” entirely.