🧵Snr State Dept official on call before new round of Vienna Iran talks: If Iran makes the political decision that it genuinely wants to return to JCPOA as negotiated, then it can be done rather swiftly. But we don’t know if Iran decided that, or if prepared to do so now.
It is a matter of a political decision that needs to be made in Iran.
SSDO: We think it is doable. Not rocket science. Not inventing a new deal. Reviving one undermined over last several years. Is it possible before Iran elections? If Iran makes the political determination…it can be done relatively quickly.
SSDO: That is a question to which we don’t have an answer. Iran has that answer. We have made that clear.
We are prepared to take the steps necessary to come back into compliance.
I think we are going to have to see what decision Iran makes, and how quickly it makes it.
SSDO (paraphrased/missing words, check trancript):
We can’t get into a situation where US does more than required ...and Iran does less than required on nuclear compliance. So far it is not clear to us that Iran is prepared to recognize those realities.
SSDO: Have to see if Iran prepared to move things forward.
Re: new centrifuges: on that issue, the JCPOA is pretty clear what Iran needs to do to come back into compliance, plain reading of JCPOA, what Iran capabilities can & cannot be if going to come back into compliance w/del
Nothing has been agreed at this point. points of convergence. US has made clear what steps prepared to take so Iran can enjoy the benefits. Iran has to obviously accept that. They have made demands that exceed what needs to happen.
Conversely, yet to agree to steps to come back into compliance. No agreement--nothing agreed til everything agreed. Still a lot of work to do...& sequencing/timetable for implementation. So that may sound like a lot. can be done...but pace has to accelerate for us to get there
in coming wks.
On sanx relief: Iran has pretty good idea. Not yet at final stage of talks...bucket of most difficult snx still need to discuss. Think Iran has pretty good picture. It will be able to get back to enjoy econ benefits under JCPOA. That is what stands to gain/lose
He described false Iran state media report over wknd about prisoner deal as unspeakable cruelty, disinfo to further inflict suffering on prisoners and their families. Said highest priority to get them out, pursuing independent from nuke talks, via third countries.
On the US official saying decisive progress requires a political decision by Iran, I reported yesterday that Iran SL may not want a big breakthrough that could boost moderates ahead of elections, so negotiators have been unable to explore solutions diplomatic.substack.com/p/unbearably-s…
Transcript of the State Dept Iran talks briefing here state.gov/briefing-with-…

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More from @lrozen

7 May
🧵Some photos of today’s Joint Commission Iran talks in Vienna, courtesy the EU in Vienna. China perm rep to IAEA Wang Qun, Iran Dep FM and chief negotiator Abbas Araghchi, Iran IAEA rep Gharibabadi. Image
Wang Qun, Araghchi, Gharibabadi and EU perm rep to IAEA and longtime Iran nonpro advisor Stephan Klement Image
Iran nuclear expert Saberi, far left; Russian perm rep to IAEA, who provides very good Iran talks coverage on Twitter, Mikhail Ulyanov, far right, on the phone. Image
Read 5 tweets
5 May
🧵 New from me: ‘Unbearably slow’: scant progress at latest Iran deal talks in Vienna, as negotiators head back for another round diplomatic.substack.com/p/unbearably-s…
“Look, they have not been making much progress, honestly...it made very, very little progress. So it was unbearably slow.”

diplomatic.substack.com/p/unbearably-s…
Iran leadership may not want rapid progress at Vienna talks to result in a potential boost for moderate candidates ahead of presidential elections in June. Timeline “is just not conducive to rapid diplomatic process.” diplomatic.substack.com/p/unbearably-s…
Read 7 tweets
5 May
“He stood out for his elegant clothes.” Many such brutal observations in this @yossi_melman piece about many in Mossad looking forward to the departure of what they see as the overly political and opportunistic Yossi Cohen, @haaretzcom haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…
“When Netanyahu interviewed the candidates, he asked if they would be loyal to him personally. N. and Ben Barak were shocked, and replied that they were loyal to the country. Netanyahu announced the news of Cohen’s selection in a live broadcast.”

haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…
“But perhaps the culmination of Cohen’s problematic and baffling behavior took place when he reportedly flew in a private plane to the Dem. Rep. of the Congo to meet with former Pres. Joseph Kabila & the diamond magnate Dan Gertler. Gertler is under U.S. sanctions...” 👀
Read 4 tweets
4 May
🧵 Giuliani advisors “have been pressing aides to former Pres. Trump to reach into a $250 million war chest to pay Giuliani for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election on Trump’s behalf.” 1/
“A person close to Giuliani...[said] the Trump campaign should be careful to ensure money in the war chest was spent in connection with the election effort because it was solicited from the public for that purpose.”

would guess Trump is not going to appreciate the veiled threats
just a bit of implied blackmail in some of these giuliani team arguments
Read 4 tweets
1 May
third round of Iran talks in Vienna seems to have wrapped up. Russian perm rep to IAEA says a fourth round will convene at the end of next week. In the meantime, experts will continue drafting
He further suggests participants have given themselves an aspirational goal of seeing if they can reach an understanding in three weeks. (caution: almost all of these deadlines in jcpoa talks were blown through.)
I reported on Thursday that progress was slow this round. diplomatic.substack.com/p/slow-progres…
Read 11 tweets
30 Apr
“The search warrants executed...at Giuliani’s NYC apartment & office sought evidence related to Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine whom Giuliani pushed to oust...as well as communications with any U.S. government officials...re: the frmr amb or her position”
“The warrant also sought evidence related to 3 Giuliani associates who were arrested in 2019 on campaign-finance charges— Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman & David Correia—as well as 2 lawyers close to Giuliani, Victoria Toensing & Joseph diGenova; & conservative columnist John Solomon.”
👉🏼”Some of the Giuliani associates mentioned in the warrant entered into financial arrangements with some of the Ukrainian officials named.
In the spring of 2019, Toensing signed an agreement to represent Shokin...Toensing also signed contracts that spring to rep Lutsenko & Kulyk
Read 4 tweets

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