Iran leaders offer mixed signals as deadline looms to agree nuclear deal
Iran has offered mixed signals as a deadline looms in talks over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers, with its president defending the negotiations while a top security official blamed America for the deadlock.
The months-long indirect talks in Vienna have sought to both persuade the US to return to the accord it unilaterally withdrew from in 2018, and have Iran restore limits on its rapidly advancing nuclear programme.
In recent days, Western diplomats have signalled the talks had reached their conclusion, laying the final decision with
Iran. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the country's powerful Supreme National Security Council, wrote on Twitter yesterday to try to blame America for the deadlock instead.
The "US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled withitsunreasonableoffersand unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that US isn't interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties," Mr Shamkhani wrote in multiple languages. "Absent US political decision, the talks get knottier by the hour."
Mr Shamkhani and other Iranian officials have repeatedly projected Western complaints about the Islamic Republic's behaviour throughout the negotiations back to the West.
A short time later, hard-line Presidentebrahimraisi'stwitter account appeared to offer Iran'stheocracycoverforpotentiallysupportingapossibledeal in Vienna. "The government is doing negotiations in the way of the supreme leader's framework and has not and will not retreatfromanyredlineswhich were announced," he wrote.
Iran's civilian government operates on a narrow bandwidth under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state. However, divisions exist withineventhehard-linecamp of Iran's theocracy - particularly on the nuclear deal and any interactions with the West.
Mr Khamenei himself also offered rare yet vague remarks about the talks yesterday, vowing that restrictions on Iran's ballistic missiles programme, nuclear scientific progress and regional military policies remain non-negotiable.
Inaspeechtoiran'sassembly of Experts, Mr Khamenei said there is no one "more naïve and clumsy than those who suggest the reduction of the defensive power" of Iran.
"Noneofthesearmsofnational power should be cut off," Mr Khamenei added. He warned that without its military capabilities and nuclear progress, Iran would face "great dangers" and "a blow to its national power".
However, he said nothing directly about the looming deadline to restore the nuclear deal. The tweets came after Russia's ambassador in the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, told journalists in Vienna on Wednesday that "maybe it will be finalised tomorrow, maybe - but it's not for sure."
Iran'stopnegotiatoralibagheri Kani rejoined the talks on Wednesday after a quick trip back to Tehran for consultations.
The top negotiator for the European Union earlier this weekseemedtosuggestwhether the talks succeeded or failed now rested with the Islamic Republic."there are no longer 'expert level talks.' Nor 'formal meetings,'"enriquemorawrote on Twitter.