The Rafsanjani Formula: “Face-To-Face Negotiations With the U.S.”

Iran’s negotiations with the three European powers – France, Germany, and the United Kingdom – over the “snapback” mechanism under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – which would reactivate United Nations sanctions against Iran – suffer from a fundamental flaw. While the Europeans demand that Iran fulfill its JCPOA obligations, Tehran insists on the removal of U.S. sanctions and security guarantees against renewed Israeli or U.S. military action, neither of which Europe is in a position to provide. As in the past, Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the late-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has urged President Masoud Pezeshkian to pursue direct negotiations with the United States to resolve these issues. Yet there is no assurance that Washington regards Iran as a priority or deems negotiations worthwhile.

• September 18: Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, writing in technocratic Sazandegi, proposed diplomatic initiatives to prevent the reimposition of United Nations Security Council sanctions through activation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action “snapback” mechanism:
  • “We must consider what demands the three European countries have of Iran in order not to activate the ‘snapback.’ Are we ready, within the three-week deadline, to grant concessions? The nuclear file, from Iran’s perspective, has four key issues: 1. Inspections of damaged sites. 2. Clarification of uranium stockpiles. 3. The fate of 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. 4. A return to the JCPOA framework through some form of text agreed on with the Americans.”
  • “The minimum logical demands of Iran are lifting unilateral U.S. sanctions and providing security guarantees to prevent renewed U.S. or Israeli attacks,” over which the Europeans have no influence.
  • Therefore, “we need a comprehensive and different strategy so that with the remaining bargaining chips we can achieve successful results through diplomacy and free the country from current threats and sanctions … we need a courageous and prudent face-to-face negotiation with the United States to resolve all outstanding issues in a comprehensive agreement … We must seize opportunities to preserve security and prevent future disasters.”

The views represented herein are the author's or speaker's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AGSI, its staff, or its board of directors.