Page 8 - MEOG Week 19 2022

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Iran finds more partners

as EU looks to save deal

IRAN IRAN and Russia are set to improve bilateral ties sanctions throttling development without large
in the fields of oil and finance as both countries foreign majors.
face a shrinking pool of potential partners.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Talk efforts
Novak is expected to visit Tehran this week to It will be a busy week for diplomats in Iran, with
hold meetings with Iran’s first vice President the European Union’s top nuclear negotiator
Mohammad Mokhber to “discuss bilateral ties Enrique Mora set to arrive in Tehran on May 11
and issues of mutual interests”, according to Ira- to salvage the nuclear deal. Talks to revive the
nian state media. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
Speaking to energy sector media outlet have stalled due to US reluctance to remove the
Shana, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
Economic Diplomacy Affairs Mehdi Safari said from the list of terrorist organisations.
that Iran’s Russia Joint Economic Commission The US administration could toughen its
had held meetings last week in preparation for position on the issue of excluding the IRGC from
the visit. the list of terrorist organisations due to Tehran’s
During these, Safari called on Iranian govern- disagreement and its playing for time with the
ment agencies to “seriously follow up the issue boost in oil prices and bonanza of channelling
of organising the joint commissions between the Russia’s trade through its borders.
two countries”, emphasising that collaboration The report, from the outlet affiliated to Iran’s
in oil and gas would be one of “the main goals Supreme National Security Council (SNSC),
behind launching the Iran-Russia Joint Eco- which now leads nuclear talks on Tehran’s side,
nomic Commission”. confirmed that the EU’s top negotiator is headed
He noted that the mutual waiving of visas for to Tehran in an attempt to dislodge the ongoing
group tourism will also be discussed. impasse.
The EU is making a last-ditch effort to salvage
LatAm deals Iran nuclear deal talks and break the deadlock
Also this week, Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji has sparked by Tehran’s demand for Washington to
signed several contracts with South American remove terrorist organisation status from the
countries on oil and agriculture as part of a tour Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful
of countries in the region, Mehr News Agency state security force.
reported on May 8. In 2015, the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the
Oji headed a delegation to some South and US, France and Iran concluded a nuclear deal,
Central American countries, including Ven- the JCPOA, which involved lifting sanctions in
ezuela and Nicaragua, last week to pursue the exchange for limiting Iran’s nuclear programme.
government’s new policies on energy diplomacy In May 2018, then-US President Donald
in the face of US sanctions on the country. Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and rein-
Deals signed including upgrading and mod- stated sanctions against Tehran. In response,
ernisation of refineries and the utilisation of Iran announced a phased reduction in its obliga-
refinery capacities as well as the export of engi- tions under the agreement, waiving restrictions
neering services and technologies to countries on nuclear research, centrifuges and the level of
such as Venezuela and Nicaragua. uranium enrichment.
The Iranian minister met with Venezuelan Negotiations have been underway in Vienna
President Nicolas Maduro and the country’s to renew the JCPOA and lift Washington’s sanc-
oil and foreign affairs ministers, the head of the tions against Tehran since late 2021.
Venezuelan national oil company, and other sen- On December 27, 2021, the eighth round
ior officials in Caracas during his tour. started. Even during the seventh round, in
During his visit to Nicaragua, Owji also met December, the parties reached an agreement on
with President Daniel Ortega and the country’s two draft agreements, in which the European
National Assembly President Gustavo Porras side included the positions of Iran.
Cortés. On December 31, the negotiations were sus-
The Iranian minister also signed contracts pended due to the New Year holidays; on January
with South American agricultural companies 3, the parties continued the dialogue in Vienna.
to boost trade of agri-products to Iran from the Iranian spokesman Bagheri-Khani said the
region, without further clarification of the goods. talks were going well, but US State Department
During his tour the Iranian minister also vis- spokesman Ned Price assessed the progress in
ited local refineries and offered Iran’s expertise Vienna as “modest”, urging Tehran to take the
in keeping the sector operational despite US issue seriously.™

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