Western media, Saudis irked by concessions made at Vienna

Mohammad Marandi, who is also vice-president for international affairs at the University of Tehran, made the remarks during an exclusive interview with the University’s internet TV on Tuesday.

The comments come as the negotiations to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear accord through removing US sanctions on Tehran have dragged on since April 2021.

Marandi categorically rejected the notion by the media outlets that a new draft text featuring the concessions, which has been proposed by the European Union to help the talks progress, has been “dictated by the Europeans.”

“These are the impressions (created) by the Persian-language media (owned by) Western and Saudi governments,” Marandi said.

“The text is rather the result of months of negotiations accompanied by logic and resistance as well as (application of available) leverages,” he added.

The Westerners came up with the draft, saying they could not hand over any more concessions, Marandi noted, saying he had been notified by some Western reporters that the Persian-language outlets had expressed dissatisfaction with the “extent to which the West had retreated” in the face of the Islamic Republic’s demands.

Marandi also asserted that the “baseless” accusations that have been leveled by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran under Western pressure had to be resolved prior to implementation of any agreement.

The Board of Governors has, in the past, accused Iran of withholding cooperation with the IAEA, something that Tehran roundly rejects.

“Failing that (resolution of the claims), any agreement would be ailing and vulnerable,” Marandi concluded.