MP: Iran not empty-handed if west does not want nuclear agreement

Abbaszadeh Meshkini says Iran is seeking guarantees on the nuclear deal because western governments have proved they are not trustworthy.

“Any agreement that deprives Iran of the advantages it seeks, or limits them, is unacceptable,” he said.

He added that Iran wants to conclude an agreement based on its national interests. He said, however, that western sides need the agreement more than Iran.

Meshkini further stressed that any deal on revival of the JCPOA should be drawn out in a fashion that allows Iran to “keep its finger on the trigger.”

His comments come as the European Union said Iran and the US are trading changes to a “final” EU-drafted proposal to revive the nuclear deal.

An advisor to the Iranian negotiating team says the country will be patient.

Mohammad Marandi says the Barrack Obama administration “systematically violated the agreement” and his successors, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, imposed the maximum pressure campaign against Iranians.

This, Marandi says, justified Iran’s emphasis on refusing to accept any ambiguities or legal loopholes that may exist in the text of the accord.

He further warned that winter is coming and the EU faces a “paralyzing energy crisis”, in a reference to the fallout over the war in Ukraine that has led to the EU looking for alternative sources of natural gas.