Disunity among world powers kills deal with Iran

The main obstacle standing in the way of an agreement between Iran and the major world powers over Tehran's nuclear program in Geneva was lack of unity among the sextet, a senior Iranian lawmaker said. “The Americans are always trying to project, but they are well-aware that there is no truth to the positions (adopted by) John Kerry on the outcome of this round of (nuclear) negotiations,” Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said. “The Americans, in this round (of talks), were very interested in seeing an opening in the negotiations between Iran and the major world powers; therefore, such remarks are made to justify the failure to reach a final result, and have nothing to do with the reality of the talks,” Boroujerdi further stated. The Islamic Republic tabled a new proposal during the first round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on October 7-8, said the Iranian legislator, stressing, “It was the westerners who failed to provide a proper response to Iran’s proposal.” On Tuesday, an Iranian legislator strongly criticized US Secretary of State John Kerry for his insincere and contradictory stances vis-à-vis the recent Geneva talks between Iran and the sextet. Kerry, while on a trip to the UAE, told Emirati officials that Iran has refrained from accepting the agreement proposed by the six world powers. “It is evident to everyone that the differences among the sextet prevented reaching an agreement in the negotiations, and the Americans themselves hinted that in this round of talks it was France that diverted the path towards an agreement, now they have taken another stance about the negotiations in a show-off move for the sake of the Emiratis,” Rapporteur of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said. He reiterated that the Iranian team of negotiators will surely not cross the redlines and will never sign an agreement which is against the Iranian nation’s rights. In relevant remarks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also slammed Kerry for his remarks about Iran in the UAE. “Mr. Secretary, was it Iran that gutted over half the US draft on Thursday night, and publicly commented against it Friday morning,” Zarif asked in a riposte on Twitter directed at John Kerry. "No amount of spinning can change what happened within the (six powers) in Geneva from 6 pm Thursday to 5:45 Saturday. But it can erode confidence," he added. The latest round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 was held in Geneva from November 7-9. The two sides described the talks as constructive and progressive and decided to continue their discussions on November 20. Kerry made the remarks while it was the French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, who blatantly opposed a deal. Meanwhile, all diplomats present in Geneva had stressed that there has been progress in the nuclear talks with Iran.