BICOM

In a major speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared to endorse the ongoing nuclear talks while adding tough preconditions to any deal.

According to Iranian state news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “I would go along with the agreement in the making. Of course, if it is not a bad deal. No agreement is better than an agreement which runs contrary to our nation’s interests.”

Khamenei justified the talks as an attempt to lift the economic sanctions on Iran. He said, “Our negotiators are trying to take the weapon of sanctions away from the enemy. If they can, so much the better. If they fail, everyone should know there are many ways at our disposal to dull this weapon.”

However, Khamenei opposed any sort of interim or framework deal and insisted that the complete detailed agreement must be produced and signed in one round. According to NDTV, he insisted that the deal “must be concluded in one stage and consist of clear and detailed specifications, and not subject to (various) interpretations… Given our past experience in dealing with the (West), a final draft must not leave any room for the other side to repeatedly extract concessions.”

This demand is sharply at odds with the current strategy of the P5+1 powers, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, who are working to secure a framework nuclear deal within weeks and then planning to conclude the details in a separate agreement in the months afterwards.

Secretary Kerry downplayed the chances of another extension to the nuclear negotiations, due to finish in June, unless such a framework deal is reached. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday, he said, “The only chance I can see of an extension at this point in time would be that you really have the outlines of the agreement, but if we’re not able to make the fundamental decisions that have to be made over the course of the next weeks, literally, I think it would be impossible to extend. I don’t think we would want to extend at that point. Either you make the decisions to prove your program is a peaceful one, or if you’re unable to do that, it may tell a story that none of us want to hear.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also opposed an extension to the talks, according to Reuters. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference he said, “I do not believe another extension is in the interests of anybody as I did not believe this extension was either necessary or useful.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned about the rush to a “bad and dangerous agreement” at the weekly meeting of Israel’s Cabinet. Mr Netanyahu said that, “The major powers and Iran are galloping toward an agreement that will enable Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons … We will continue to take action and to lead the international effort against Iran’s arming itself with nuclear weapons.”

Despite some optimism, there still appear to be significant differences between the P5+1 and Iran, making it unlikely that a deal will be concluded within weeks. Even if an interim deal is signed, the technical aspects of any agreement could take months or even years to finalise.