The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has released a major report revealing the three red lines the Iranian regime will not cross during nuclear negotiations with world powers.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Director of the NCRI’s US Representative Office, unveiled the results of the expose during an online briefing with journalists from around the world on Thursday.
The report’s key findings claim that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has insisted:
- Western inspectors must not be given any access to military sites;
- Western inspectors must not be given any access to Iranian nuclear scientists;
- Iran’s nuclear Research and Development (R&D) program must continue.
“The above three points constitute the main pillars of the military aspect of the Iranian nuclear program,” the report states. “In other words, the main redlines for Khamenei have been to maintain the most crucial and fundamental aspects of the nuclear weapons program and he has reiterated this time and again.”
The report goes on to stress that “the framework that Khamenei has specified, and which the regime’s senior officials have been in consensus with him on, has been that the talks must only focus on previously revealed sites, projects and aspects of the nuclear program that cannot be denied.”
“In the meantime, the apparatus in its entirety, especially the weaponization aspect and its various branches, must remain untouched, intact and not mentioned in the talks at all.
“Attention and focus in this regard should be marginalized and made a secondary issues in the talks.”
The report, compiled by the NCRI’s US Representative Office in Washington, casts new light on Tehran’s 12 years of ‘negotiations’ with the EU3 and P5+1.
Its findings can throw into doubt the chances of Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany reaching a nuclear pact with Tehran by June 30 to halt its nuclear efforts in return for sanctions relief.
The report goes on to claim that the “deceitful” clerical regime in Tehran has deliberately focused on “trust building” rather than “transparency” in order to keep the international community at arm’s length.
It adds that one of the main arguments the mullahs have used has focused on the supposed fatwa made by Khamenei that allegedly declared nuclear weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction forbidden.
“A bit of scrutiny reveals that the purpose of such a fatwa is purely for deceiving the international community and devoid of any value, since there has never been any written document against nuclear arms in Khamenei’s handwriting and carrying his stamp.
“It is standard practice for all fatwas to be produced in this way and distributed via the press or official websites. Furthermore, not all prohibitory fatwas are binding for the government or officials.”
The report focused on two periods of intense negotiations between the world powers and the regime (2003-04 and 2013-15), and lists seven principles of Tehran’s approach to the talks:
- Decisions are made at the highest levels of the Iranian regime, with the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei playing the most important role;
- As far as Tehran is concerned, the military dimensions of the nuclear program must be removed wherever possible from the talks;
- Only talk about disclosed sites;
- Stall any discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency;
- Keep the entire nuclear infrastructure;
- Build trust verbally and only issue verbal promises;
- Keep the talks alive to prevent the international community from adopting any resolute policy towards Iran so the nuclear program may continue.
The report draws on classified information obtained from inside the regime, the memoirs of current President Hassan Rouhani – chief nuclear negotiator in talks with the EU3 in 2003 and 2004 – and statements from Khamenei and other officials.