Arash Aramesh

Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters July 26 that Iran has informed the Vienna group, which is comprised of the United States, Russia, France, and the IAEA, that it is willing to sit down with the European Union at the “very first opportunity” to discuss fuel for Tehran’s nuclear reactor.

According to Fars news, a semi-official news agency with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran wrote a letter to the Vienna group to answer a number of questions posed by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano. Fars did not explain what Amano had asked about or what the Iranian response entailed.

In another sign that Iran is softening its position on whether it will resume negotiations over its nuclear program, Iranian officials met in Istanbul July 26 with officials from Brazil and Turkey to seek assurances that they will continue to press the EU to resume talks regarding the Tehran Nuclear Reactor.

Iran is apparently concerned that Western government have dismissed the Tehran Declaration, which was an agreement brokered with Iran by Turkey and Brazil on May 16. Western governments have said the declaration fails to address key concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. Fars news, which has been very supportive of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear policy, has portrayed the Tehran Declaration as a great victory for Iran’s diplomatic machine. Fars and other state-owned news outlets have made strenuous efforts to show Turkey and Brazil as Iran’s allies and portray the United States as an ever-increasing isolated world power on the global stage.

Fars also announced Iran’s willingness to start negotiations without preconditions about fuel for the Tehran reactor. According to Fars, Soltanieh said Iran was willing to participate in the first meeting in Vienna to resume talks about providing fuel for the Tehran reactor.

Despite Iran’s claims that the Tehran Declaration would have guaranteed enough enriched fuel for the Tehran reactor, it seems that they are going back to the negotiating table to bargain for fuel. The Tehran reactor, built by Americans before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, is used for research and medical purposes.

It seems the Islamic Republic is eager to resume negotiations. Some analysts argue that mounting pressure on Iran, via economic sanctions and threat of military strikes, have forced Iran to submit to the will of the international community. Others, on the other hand, argue that Iran is simply buying more time and has no intention of halting its nuclear program.