Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.5
By Dalga Khatinoglu
A close source to Iran's nuclear delegation team told the state agency that failure in reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement by Nov.24 was caused by increasing pressure on the White House from the US administration's rivals, especially after recent Congressional elections.
Iran's state agency IRNA quoted an unnamed source on Dec.4 as a "close source to Iran's nuclear negotiation team with P5+1" saying that the U.S. government "was not ready to agree to a comprehensive nuclear accord with Iran due to internal pressures".
After winning the Nov. 5 election, the Republicans became the majority party in both the US Senate and the US Congress.
Besides the Republicans, even the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs, Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) said Nov.23, a day before nuclear deadline, that "Congress will not be satisfied with a bad deal".
Iran and the P5+1 group, including the U.S., France, UK, Russia, China plus Germany, agreed to extend nuclear talks until July 1, 2015 after failing to meet the 24 Nov. deadline on reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement. The sides also extended the Geneva nuclear deal, which was signed in November 2013 providing Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.
The source told IRNA that the country's nuclear activities will continue based on Geneva nuclear accord in next seven months.
"Iran will keep en on its nuclear research and development plans," he said. The source added that achieving the final nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 is possible even before July1, 2015.
Dalga Khatinoglu is an expert on Iran's energy sector, head of Trend Agency's Iran news service
Follow him on @dalgakhatinoglu