West Agrees on Sanctions ‘Snapback’:

FM Zarif: Iran to Discuss ‘Other Solutions’

TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iran will discuss "other solutions" to Western demands that it allow UN inspectors access to its military sites and to interview its nuclear scientists, Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif has been quoted as saying.

Date: 01 June 2015 - 21:53

News ID: ۱۴۵۶۷

The issue has become one of the main sticking points between Tehran and six world powers as they try to overcome obstacles to a final nuclear agreement one month before of a deadline.
"We have decided to discuss other solutions to resolve this issue," Zarif was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency, after holding six hours of meetings on with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry.
The United States and France have threatened to block any deal that does not allow access but Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has explicitly ruled out any inspections or interviews.
Zarif did not give further details about how Iranian negotiators planned to resolve the issue and said there were still several points of difference between Iran and the United States, implying there had been no major breakthrough in his bilateral talks with Kerry.
"We have decided to work full time for the next three or four weeks to see whether or not it will be possible to reach an agreement," he said.
On Monday, Reuters quoting what it described as unnamed Western officials said the P5+1 had agreed on a way to restore sanctions on Iran if the country was deemed as having broken the terms of a future nuclear deal.
The new understanding on a UN sanctions "snapback” among the six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - brings them closer to a possible deal with Iran, though other hurdles remain, it claimed.
The P5+1 and Iran reached a mutual understanding on April 2 ahead of a possible final deal. But the timing of sanctions relief, access and verification of compliance and a mechanism for restoring sanctions were among the most difficult topics left for further negotiations, the news agency said.
U.S. and European negotiators want any easing of UN sanctions to be automatically reversible if Tehran violates a deal. Russia and China traditionally reject such automatic measures as undermining their veto power as permanent members of the UN Security Council.
As part of the new agreement on sanctions snapback, suspected breaches by Iran would be taken up by a dispute-resolution panel, likely including the six powers and Iran, which would assess the allegations and come up with a non-binding opinion, the officials said, Reuters reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would also continue regularly reporting on Iran’s nuclear program, which would provide the six powers and the Security Council with information on Tehran’s activities to enable them to assess compliance.
If Iran was found to be in non-compliance with the terms of the deal, then UN sanctions would be restored, it said.
The officials did not say precisely how sanctions would be restored but Western powers have been adamant that it should take place without a Security Council vote, based on provisions to be included in a new UN Security Council resolution to be adopted after a deal is struck.
A senior Iranian diplomat said Iran was now reviewing several options for the possible "snapback" of Security Council sanctions against Tehran, Reuters claimed.
It was unclear exactly how the snapback mechanism would function, and the officials did not discuss the precise details. It was also unclear how the proposal would protect the United States and other permanent Council members from a possible Chinese or Russian veto on sanctions restoration.
France’s Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud said in Washington last week that, under a French idea, sanctions would be reinstated automatically in the event of non-compliance, avoiding the threat of a veto.
A senior Iranian diplomat confirmed that discussions of specific snapback options were underway. He told Reuters Tehran was preparing its own "snapback" in the event the Western powers fail to live up to their commitments under the agreement.
"At least three or four different suggestions have been put on the table, which are being reviewed," he said. "Iran also can immediately resume its activities if the other parties involved do not fulfill their obligations under the deal."
He added that it was "a very sensitive issue".