Tehran, June 16, IRNA – Success made in nuclear talks between the P5+1 group in Vienna, Austria, in 2015, which was achieved after a decade of disputes between the Western powers and Iran on its nuclear program has been misused by certain groups to tarnish the image of the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, while in fact the nuclear document should be considered as a national issue, endorsed by the whole Islamic establishment.
Approaching the presidential election in Iran, certain opponents of the administration try to connect the country’s nuclear policies to the outgoing government in order to find a way to criticize statesmen.
Ali Rabiei, Iranian government’s spokesman, has emphasized that the change of power in administration will not alter the Islamic Republic’s nuclear policy, because it is a national file, which goes on based on national consensus, so the domestic developments cannot affect the process. He further pointed out to the key roles of the Iranian parliament and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in decision-making when it comes to cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Role of parliament in nuclear talks
The Iranian parliamentarians endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal at that time and they have been collaborating in progress being made during the current round of negotiations in Vienna.
The legislators also approved the Law on Strategic Action for the Abolition of Sanctions and the Protection of the Rights of the Iranian Nation in on December 2, 2020 in a bid to call on the administration to increase the level of uranium enrichment from 4.5 to 20 percent.
Kazem Gharibabadi, the Iranian ambassador to International Organisations in Vienna, reacted to a recent report of the IAEA, noting that the increase of Iran’s nuclear activities is in line with the law in order to protect the Iranian nation’s rights.
Effectiveness of the SNSC
It is worth mentioning that the role and impact of the Supreme National Security Council in preparing the ground for nuclear agreement is much higher than other entities in the Islamic Republic system.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a news briefing on April 19 that the SNSC is responsible for decision-making on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and verification of the implementation of the agreement.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has recently cautioned that nowhere in the world, the foreign ministry determines foreign policy; there are higher ranking officials that make the decisions and policies, of course, the Foreign Ministry is also involved, and it is the same in Iran.
National or factional interests?
Therefore, questioning ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna, the revival of the JCPOA, agreements between the IAEA and Tehran as well as different issues translates into challenging policies of the whole establishment, which seems to be in contradiction to national interests. So, the opponents of the current administration in Iran are expected to stop sacrificing national interests in favor of their factional interests.
