Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili advised the so-called P5+1 group (Consisting of the USA, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) to seize the opportunity to reach an agreement on nuclear talks with Iran.

Jalili was talking to journalists after a dinner meeting with the EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton on Wednesday, he recalled the 2010 Iran–Brazil-Turkey deal to swap Iranian uranium stockpiles as an opportunity that the west failed to seize.

“Tehran’s declaration was about the supplying of Tehran’s medical reactor with 20% uranium but instead of seizing the opportunity they [the west] issued resolution 1929 [against Iran]” Jalili said.

Iran signed a joint declaration with Turkey and Brazil on May 16, 2010 to ship 1,200kg of low enriched uranium to Turkey for a later exchange of 120kg of enriched isotope for its medical nuclear reactor in Tehran.

 But within hours after the deal was announced by Brazilian and Turkish leaders the US rejected that and pushed ahead with sanctions.

 After the swap deal failed, Iran which was in need of 20% enriched uranium for its medical reactor developed its nuclear program to produce 20% uranium itself.

 “[After Tehran’s declaration failed] , Iran supplied itself with 20% enriched Uranium (According to the rights of NPT memebers) and [the P5+1] lost the opportunity opened up by the Tehran declaration. Then they [after three years] in Almaty-I asked to talk about 20% enrichment,” said Jalili in a press conference on Thursday morning.

 “The Iranian nation [never] retreats from its rights. I hope this time they study our proposals in the Almaty-II talks to avoid later regrets,” he said as a warning that Iran would go further on its nuclear program if the west continues to ignore Iran’s proposals.

EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili had a dinner meeting in Turkish city of Istanbul, on May 15. The meeting was a follow up to last round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on April 5-6.

Speaking at a press conference after the Almaty talks, Jalili said that Iran provided a comprehensive operational plan to the P5+1 and it is now up to the group to decide on how to respond to the Iranian proposals.

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“Our technical developments continue within the framework of our obligations,” said Deputy Secretary of the Iranian National Security Council said in a meeting with students of the University of Tehran. “Iran’s coming presidential election will insure the progress of the country’s nuclear technical development.”

Slamming Iran’s nuclear negotiating team during 2003-05 with Europe led by Hassan Rowhani, Bagheri said: “In the past we did not have real negotiations and our national interest and security was damaged. We accepted a false term of ‘suspension’ and then our nuclear file was referred to the UN Security Council.”

“Discussion of our nuclear technical field was ignored in that period, consequently the other side [the West] told us to suspend the whole fuel cycle,” he said.

Hassan Rowhani, a candidate of the upcoming presidential election critiqued the process of the current nuclear talks in his election campaign speeches, describing it as “slow” and unable to stop sanctions against Iran.

While the election race heats up in Iran, the nuclear issue is one of the main topics, candidates talk about it in their campaign speeches.

“Time is in our favor,” Bagheri answering a question asked by a student regard prolongation of talks with the P5+1. “In the past time was against us because we suspended our nuclear activities and they were pressing us. But now even though [the west] continues its pressure against us, we are continuing to develop technical aspects of [our nuclear program].”

The Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Security Council denied the suspension of all of Iran’s nuclear activities was endorsed by the Supreme Leader.

In answer to increasing critics against the mandate of Rowhani in nuclear talks with Europe and acceptance of suspension of nuclear activities, he said on several occasions that the supreme leader endorsed the initiative.

“As Mr. Rowhani wrote in his book, the Supreme Leader only accepted the suspension of Gas injection and not all of the nuclear activities. It is an injustice to attribute our mistakes to the leader,” said Bagheri.

At the end of the discussion between the University of Tehran students and the Iranian deputy nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri the students handed a letter to Bagheri inviting Saeed Jalili (The chief negotiator) to be a candidate in the presidential election. 

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Manouchehr Mottaki, who served as Iran’s Foreign Minister from 2005 to 2010, and has now announced his candidacy for the Presidential elections in June, told Iran’s Supreme Leader in the last months of his service that “We are ready to reach an agreement with the P5+1.”

“[In this scenario] we also should make the West accept our rights and allow them to announce that they convinced Iran to accept their demands,” Mottaki said as he explained his plan to Ayatollah Khamenei.

The plan, apparently, proposed to accept of some of the P5+1 demands as a face-saving step for the western side.

Speaking in a conference of “Union of Islamic Societies of Independent Students” in Tehran, Mottaki said on Friday that he suggested Iran should declare the Supreme Leader’s Nuclear Fatwa (religious edict, declaring that the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons are all prohibited in Islam), and increase cooperation with the IAEA, despite all of their sabotages.

“The Supreme leader accepted my plan, [then] we discussed it with President Ahmadinejad and [following his order] a 4- member team was formed,” he said. “but unfortunately I was dismissed after a few months,” Mottaki said.

On 13 December 2010, Mottaki was dismissed as foreign minister – while on an official tour of Africa – by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

President Ahmadinejad appointed the country’s then top nuclear official, Ali Akbar Salehi, to replace Mr Mottaki.

“We were [running] in a marathon, we had to manage sanctions and perform our policies simultaneously,” He said about his serving period as Iran’s Foreign Minister.

“On the nuclear issue since 2005 we have arrived at a new battle, we reached self-sufficiency in uranium enrichment and consequently are facing fresh pressures from the West,” Mottaki asserted saying “…for the one who has the upper hand, retreating will make him the loser.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council formulates the country’s nuclear policy. The nuclear policies formulated by the council would become effective if they are confirmed by the Supreme Leader. The Secretary of the council, Saeed Jalili acts as the chief nuclear negotiator of Iran.

Latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group held April 5^th and 6^th in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

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 Iranian top negotiator, Saeed Jalili told the reporters after the talks that the P5+1 finally addressed some of the demands Iran had made during Moscow talks 6 months ago.

Jalili noted that the P5+1 were more realistic during Almaty talks and retreated from some of their previous positions. “Some of the points raised in their response were more realistic compared to what they said in the past, and they tried to get closer to Iran’s viewpoints of Iran which we believe is a positive move.” He however emphasized that they were yet far from reaching “the optimum point”.

Concerning Fordo facilities, Jalili said it was completely legal and demanding for its closure would have been illogical. He added, though, that the P5+1 did not demand  the closure of Fordo in this round of talks.

EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, also attended a short press conference at the end of the talks, answering few questions. “Iran’s proposals have been included in the revised plan,” she told reporters, refusing to get into details of P5+1 new package.

As the P5+1 retreated from its former points, Iran can be considered the winner of Almaty talks. “Either a 1-0 win, or a 7-0 win, it makes no difference. The Important thing is that we won,” said an Iranian diplomat who attended the talks.

At the end of the talks, it was announced that an expert-level technical meeting would be held in Turkey in March and a political plenary meeting would be held in Kazakhstan in April.

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The second day of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 is held in Almaty while the two sides agreed to have a technical meeting in Istanbul and then another political meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan. no date specified by Iran’sView source.

 “We had a useful meeting today. Further discussions took place this evening. We have agreed to have another meeting tomorrow at 11 o’clock,” Michael Mann, the spokesman for Catherine Ashton, told reporters last night.

The Iranian chief negotiator Saeed Jalili and Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, held a bilateral meeting on Wednesday before the talks. Later in the day, Jalili also met Kazakh foreign minister.  

Today’s plenary session is going to be a short meeting. Iran is expected to present its new proposal to the P5+1. Iranian officials said yesterday that their proposal is changeable and depending on what the other side suggests, a suitable version of it is going to be presented. Diplomatic sources say that both sides would probably agree on holding technical talks.

An Iranian diplomat told Iran’sView that the p5+1 have retreated from lots of their previous positions and agreed to some compromises.

“Actually P5+1 proposal isn’t something new. They have modified their Baghdad package in response to our moscow request.”, the diplomat stressed.

Unlike previous rounds of talks, the P5+1 is trying to show a positive picture of Almaty talks.

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Despite some speculations, sources close to the Iranian side stated that the country has a significant proposal, none of the details of which have been disclosed so far. Previously there were speculations that only the P5+1 group had a new offer in Almaty.

“Our proposal includes  a wide range of options. Depending on what we hear from the other side, we will present a suitable version of our proposal. But anyways, Iran is presenting a new proposal,” the iranian diplomat said.

“We want to know if the West is really concerned over Iran’s nuclear program or they use this issue only as blackmail,” the diplomat added.He said that Almaty talks would shed light on the west’s intentions. In Moscow too, Iran presented a comprehensive proposal to the p5+1 but has not received any response to it yet.

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Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili has met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Almaty ahead of the nuclear talks with p5+1.

In the meeting, Jalili pointed to the common view of Iran and Kazakhstan towards nuclear disarmament in the world.

He also emphasized that the world powers could not dissuade Iran from pursing its nuclear rights despite all the pressures and threats against the country.

Jalili added that the global society is waiting for the constructive, credible, and rational response of the p5+1 to the comprehensive offer made by Iran during the talks in Moscow. He insisted that the only way for the powers to get out of these self-made problems is to follow a strategy of interaction with Iran and accept Iran’s nuclear right unconditionally.

Talking about the special conditions of the region, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council also noted the Muslim world and the countries in the region should be united in order to succeed in the international arena. 

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With less than a day before the beginning of the new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and P5+1, there seems to be no  clear consensus over the scenario of the negotiation among the members of the group.

Just ahead of the talks, some western news resources announced that the P5+1 intended to offer a new pack to Iran based on which sanctions on the trade of gold and precious metals would be lifted in return for a reduction preparations in Fordo facilities.

Soon after the release of the news, however, some other western sources stated that there would not be a new offer essentially and that P5+1 is set to offer a package to Iran insisting on certain components of the 2008 offer. It was also suggested in the news that Almaty offer would be similar to Baghdad offer with only few modifications.

This is while during the  nuclear talks in Moscow Iran suggested that if the west lifted the sanctions it would cooperate more with the agency on the ground of 20 percent uranium enrichment . Moscow offer has not received an official response from the P5+1 so far.

Now that the delegations of negotiators have arrived in Almaty, contradictory signals are sent from the west.

This morning Washington Post quoted an American diplomat as saying the group merely expects a consensus over certain issues.

The remarks contradict previous claims made by other western sources stating that a detailed and significant offer is to be given to Iran.

Meanwhile the Spokesperson for the US Department of State noted that the country plans to repeat the offer in direct talks with Iran.

Some experts believe US insisting on and repeating the offer just after Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Khamenei clarified his stance over the direct talks with the US, is a sign of US attempts to play media games and dodge the negotiations. This in a way suggests that US lack of seriousness in talks.

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A source close to the Iranian delegation told Iran’s view ahead of the talks Iran will certainly reject the p5+1 offer if it is not worthy and credible.

The source said that the West would better have “credible” proposals based on the NPT and the agreements made during the talks in Istanbul, Turkey, and also based on the step-by-step approach.

 “Things will not get worse for us; We are already subjected to the hardest sanctions but have been able to overcome these problems,” the source said.

The new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 group is to take place in Almaty Kazakhstan, tomorrow 01:00 pm local time.

The Iranian delegation headed by chief negotiator Saeed Jalili arrived in Almaty yesterday.  Jalili has dismissed the possibility of Iran giving in to the pressures by the Western powers and forsaking its nuclear rights.

The Iranian chief negotiator emphasized that if Iran gave up its nuclear rights, the Western powers not only would not end the pressures but also would push for more.

The NPT gives its signatories the right to enrich uranium for producing fuel and other peaceful purposes. The Western powers, however, accuse Iran of being after nuclear weapons.  So far they have had no credible proof for this claim though.

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