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 The talks between Britain, China, France, Russia and the United
States — the five permanent members of the Security Council — plus
Germany and Iran, are taking place ahead of difficult negotiations
that resume next week over constricting Iran's nuclear ability.
Some eight U.N. resolutions - four of them imposing sanctions - ban
Iran from uranium enrichment and other sensitive atomic work and bar
it from buying and selling atomic technology and anything linked to
ballistic missiles. There is also a U.N. arms embargo.
Iran sees their removal as crucial as U.N. measures are a legal
basis for more stringent U.S. and European Union measures to be
enforced. The U.S. and EU often cite violations of the U.N. ban on
enrichment and other sensitive nuclear work as justification for
imposing additional penalties on Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress on Wednesday that
an Iran nuclear deal would not be legally binding, meaning future
U.S. presidents could decide not to implement it. That point was
emphasized in an open letter by 47 Republican senators sent on
Monday to Iran's leaders asserting any deal could be discarded once
President Barack Obama leaves office in January 2017.
But a Security Council resolution on a nuclear deal with Iran could
be legally binding, say Western diplomatic officials. That could
complicate and possibly undercut future attempts by Republicans in
Washington to unravel an agreement.
Iran and the six powers are aiming to complete the framework of a
nuclear deal by the end of March, and achieve a full agreement by
June 30, to curb Iran's most sensitive nuclear activities for at
least 10 years in exchange for a gradual end to all sanctions on the
Islamic Republic.
So far, those talks have focused on separate U.S. and European Union
sanctions on Iran's energy and financial sectors, which Tehran
desperately wants removed. The sanctions question is a sticking
point in the talks that resume next week in Lausanne, Switzerland,
between Iran and the six powers.
But Western officials involved in the negotiations said they are
also discussing elements to include in a draft resolution for the
15-nation Security Council to begin easing U.N. nuclear-related
sanctions that have been in place since December 2006.
"If there's a nuclear deal, and that's still a big 'if', we'll want
to move quickly on the U.N. sanctions issue," an official said,
requesting anonymity.
The negotiations are taking place at senior foreign ministry level
at the six powers and Iran, and not at the United Nations in New
York.
U.S. OFFICIAL CONFIRMS DISCUSSIONS
A senior U.S. administration official confirmed that the discussions
were underway.
The official said that the Security Council had mandated the
negotiations over the U.N. sanctions and therefore has to be
involved. The core role in negotiations with Iran that was being
played by the five permanent members meant that any understanding
over U.N. sanctions would likely get endorsed by the full council,
the official added.
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Iran rejects Western allegations it is seeking a nuclear weapons
capability.
Officials said a U.N. resolution could help protect any nuclear deal
against attempts by Republicans in U.S. Congress to sabotage it.
Since violation of U.N. demands that Iran halt enrichment provide a
legal basis for sanctioning Tehran, a new resolution could make new
sanction moves difficult.
"There is an interesting question about whether, if the Security
Council endorses the deal, that stops Congress undermining the
deal," a Western diplomat said.
Other Western officials said Republicans might be deterred from
undermining any deal if the Security Council unanimously endorses it
and demonstrates that the world is united in favor of a diplomatic
solution to the 12-year nuclear standoff.
Concerns that Republican-controlled Congress might try to derail a
nuclear agreement have been fueled by the letter to Iran's leaders
and a Republican invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to address Congress in a March 3 speech that railed
against a nuclear deal with Iran.
The officials emphasized that ending all sanctions would be
contingent on compliance with the terms of any deal. They added that
the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based nuclear
watchdog, will play a key role in verifying Iran's compliance with
any agreement.
Among questions facing negotiators as they seek to prepare a
resolution for the Security Council is the timing and speed of
lifting U.N. nuclear sanctions, including whether to present it in
March if a political framework agreement is signed next week or to
delay until a final deal is reached by the end-June target.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Lesley Wroughton and
Patricia Zengerle in Washington, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara and John
Irish in Paris; Editing by Jason Szep and Martin Howell)
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