Iran calls for “stronger guarantees” to revive nuclear deal, reviews Washington’s counterproposal now

Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amirabdolahian explained Wednesday that after receiving the counter-proposal from the United States, which is already being examined “with due care and speed”, Tehran needs “stronger guarantees” from Washington for the reactivation of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

“We are serious about reaching a good, strong and stable agreement. One of the issues that was taken into consideration in our exchange with the negotiating parties, but we need to strengthen it in the text, is that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should distance itself from its (current) behavior,” he has said.

In this regard, he explained that the nuclear agency “should focus only on its duties and responsibilities,” so Tehran will not allow “any party” to interfere in Iran’s sphere of independence, the Mehr news agency reported.

Amirabdolahian, during a press conference together with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, thus referred to IAEA investigations into traces of enriched uranium found at three undeclared sites.

On Sunday, it was made known that the agreement could comprise four phases “to cement confidence between the parties” and would come into full force 165 days after its signature. Iran would release several prisoners and return to the terms of the pact in exchange for maintaining its current uranium ‘stockpile’ and the lifting of sanctions, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard would remain on the list of terrorist organizations.

This draft could change in the face of the final agreement, as Iran is right now revising the response submitted by the United States to an initial agreement text presented by the European Union, the content of which was partially disseminated by the ‘Haaretz’ newspaper.

Although an exact date is not yet known, Iran could give its opinion on the U.S. review in early September, Iranian media outlet Nour News, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said Sunday.

World powers have spent nearly 18 months trying to negotiate a deal that would restore strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for the United States relaxing some of its sanctions on the Persian republic’s economy, including the one imposed on its oil exports.