Dr. Mehdi Motaharnia in an interview with the Iranian Journal of International Relations
Dr. Mehdi Motaharnia, a researcher, faculty member, and futurologist, in an interview with the Iranian Journal of International Relations on the nuclear talks in Vienna, said:
"What should be considered about the Vienna talks on Iran and the United States is that both the United States stands on its positions to achieve defined goals, and Iran seek to create an atmosphere in which it can achieve its goals in this area.
However, they are faced with a crisis and ambiguity in this regard, and the definition of each side to return to the JCPOA is different. Therefore, according to Dr. Motaharnia, the return to JCPOA in the Americans' operational definition is a return to the P5 + 1 in order to reconsider the goal of JCPOA to enter JCPOA Plus, and Iran is pursuing its own meanings in this regard.
From Dr. Motaharnia's point of view, Americans have experienced a crisis of Iranian concepts, and now, based on this crisis, they are considering returning to JCPOA in the context of an ambiguous definition in their political literature in the government.
This futurologist and professor, while emphasizing the important point that in Iran, the final decision-maker of the JCPOA is the Supreme Leader, stated that he (the Supreme Leader) in his last speech in this regard considered the central sign of the negotiation might be right and wrong and he announced about the negotiation that the right should be separated from the wrong. Therefore, in this sense, the United States seeks to create an atmosphere that can shape a new negotiation with Iran in the American definition of negotiation. Iran is also looking for a space where it can put eggs in its basket that it can use. This professor and futurologist further stated that, withdrawing from the Additional Protocols, approaching Beijing, the highest rate of uranium enrichment and talking about extending the strategic agreement with Russia, trying to break the diplomatic siege of Iran and proximity to other countries despite US pressure on the current situation, as well as the avoidance of confrontation, indicates that Iran, in its concession basket in indirect negotiations with the United States in Vienna, seeks to create an environment that can change the paradigm of neither war nor negotiation, and has been somewhat successful.
According to Dr. Mehdi Motaharnia, the so-called US concession to Iran, despite the start of indirect talks in Vienna, has not yet shown its signs and the only move by the Americans in this regard is to withdraw the trigger mechanism from the UN Security Council. But in practice, none of the sanctions have been lifted and there is no positive sign other than the return of the United States to JCPOA in this regard. He also stressed that Robert Molly and Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisers, have repeatedly stressed that the United States will return to the negotiating table when Iran returns to the JCPOA, but have also spoken of other possible issues being raised as a step forward which is JCPOA Plus.
Dr. Motaharnia believes that, despite Biden's possible desire to return to JCPOA or the P5 + 1 mechanism, his concern about Iran's rapprochement with Russia and China, in other words the Eastern Bloc, due to Israel and Saudi Arabia opposition and pressure and the convergence of Republicans and Democrats opposed to JCPOA, it seems unlikely whom be able to give Iran special privileges for JCPOA. Unless something else happens in the Joint Commission of JCPOA and the process turns the other way. This turning of the way to the other side will be a sign of the retreat of one side from its position or both sides of their position to such an extent that monitoring this return path from the positions can assess the degree of victory of the opposite side over the other.
