‘What can be negotiated has been negotiated.’ End in sight for JCPOA wrangling? 

Resolution of outstanding issues in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (‘JCPOA’) may be on the cards, and a deal finalised between Iran and the P5+1 shortly. Such is the message conveyed in an 8 August tweet from Josep Borrell in which the High Representative for Foreign Affairs said negotiators had ‘used these days of discussions and proximity talks between the US and Iran to fine tune and address…a handful of issues remaining in the text that I have put on the table [on 21 July]…

‘What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text. However, behind every technical issue and every paragraph lies a political decision that needs to be taken in the capitals. If these answers are positive, then we can sign this deal.’

However, Iran may take issue with Borrell’s characterisation of the text as ‘final’, with the pro-government Nournews website stating in an editorial, ‘Pointing to the finalization of the text of the agreement by the western side confirms the unacceptable approach that since the text of the agreement has been finalized, it is non-negotiable and the parties should only announce their final opinion on this text.’

It said that this ‘…is actually an attempt to create a special position and role for the European Union, which has never been agreed upon by the negotiating parties…The European Union, as the coordinator of the negotiations, cannot introduce its proposals as “final text” because the decision-making in this regard is only in the power of the negotiating parties.’