New sanctions can make next talks ineffective: sources in Tehran

Diplomatic sources in Tehran have responded to the news that the United States and its allies are planning to impose more sanctions on Iran ahead of next round of talks between Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in Istanbul, saying this would make negotiations ineffective, Tehran Times reported.

According to an article published in the Wall Street Journal on December 18, the U.S. and representatives of the European Union have agreed to impose joint sanctions against Iran in January. It is unclear what shape the new sanctions will take, but it has been agreed that the U.S. and EU should act together with a uniform set of sanctions, rather than seeking further United Nations sanctions.

The report said the U.S. and its allies plan to finalize details of the plan by the end of the year, then deliver the proposal to the EU sanctions committee to get the new measures in place before talks are resumed in Istanbul.

The Iranian diplomats say further sanctions on Tehran means that the U.S. and its allies have decided to ignore what was agreed for the talks in Istanbul which was to focus on "common ground", the Tehran Times has learnt.

The diplomats also believe the move can negatively affect the future talks.

During the talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in Geneva on December 6 and 7, the two sides agreed to hold the next round of talks in Istanbul in late January.

Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, who represented Iran in the talks, told reporters that "both sides have agreed that the talks will be about cooperation on common ground."

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that they are ready to hold talks with the world powers on major issues facing the world. At the same time, the Iranian delegation in Geneva made it clear that Tehran would never negotiate on its inalienable nuclear rights at the next rounds of talks.

However, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represented the 5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany) during the talks, issued a statement after the end of the talks in which she did not mention that the focus of talks in Istanbul will be on common ground, thereby reneging on what was agreed in the talks.

Ashton said in the statement that the countries she represents are united in seeking a resolution of the international community's concerns, regarding Iran's nuclear program which is the central purpose of these talks.

An Iranian diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has told the website irannuc.ir, "There is a concern that the agreement made at the Geneva talks fall a victim to the internal disagreements within the 5+1 group."

He also said, "It is clear that the imposition of any new sanction will put the fate of talks in Istanbul in doubt, because Iran has made further talks contingent on the end of pressures."

Political pundits maintain that Ashton's lack of commitment to the agreement made in Geneva and the Western governments' plan to impose new sanctions on Iran can place the future of talks between Iran and the major powers in question