Interview with ILNA News Agency, August 19, 2023 -
He added: "Of course, the reality is that these events are in a format between the idea of freeze to freeze and less for less." I believe that the more comprehensive the negotiations, the more beneficial they are for us, but unfortunately, this has not been possible for some reason at the moment, and we have not even reached the point of revitalizing the JCPOA or anything resembling the lifting of sanctions. I think that the US government is not currently ready for substantive negotiations to revive the JCPOA, and of course, it was we who somehow missed the opportunities that existed to lift sanctions and rejoin the JCPOA. I do not know for sure, but if our reserves in South Korea have been reduced for any reason, it is not a good thing, because we are facing severe financial constraints and this is putting a lot of pressure on the people, and no concessions or negligence in this regard are permissible.
In response to the question of how much this path can affect the nuclear negotiations and the revival of the JCPOA, since Iran and the US emphasize that this agreement will not be related to other issues, Karimi said: "I do not think so either." As mentioned, the Biden administration does not have such a position, necessity, or strategy at the moment. It seems that it is possible to conduct talks in a manner that sounds haphazard, but fundamentally, in terms of content, I do not think that the revival of the JCPOA is on the agenda. Of course, this is regrettable; because without the lifting of sanctions, our position in the international community, especially in the economic, trade, and financial areas, will not be corrected or even slightly normalized.
In response to the question of what other steps Iran should take to continue the current process, which some consider to be a continuation of the unwritten understanding, he said: The distrust between Iran and the United States is a historical matter and will not be resolved so easily. In my opinion, the very nature of this type of negotiation, which is firstly non-public and secondly, what has been agreed upon is non-media, and especially we, as the people of Iran, do not know what concessions have been given and taken, shows distrust in the other side and the lack of active support from public opinion on both sides of the negotiation. We should seek to leave the current period behind and lift sanctions by fully restoring the implementation of the JCPOA, even if this is possible after the US elections. The differences with the Agency should be resolved so that the nuclear issue does not become a new pretext, and ultimately, raising the level of brokering the negotiations to revive the JCPOA can also be helpful.
In response to the question of what Iran should do in order not to fall into the trap of securitization again, Karimi said: First, it should be aware of this issue and distinguish between security and securitization. In particular, it should be known that it is Israel that has made the most effort and skill in securitization. Historically, Israeli politicians have always adhered to this method. We must be careful not to fall into the trap that Israel sets for us and not give them an excuse. It seems to me that our politicians are less likely to acknowledge this issue, but with the reminders of scholars in this field, they are gradually understanding the issue.
This international affairs expert clarified: We must try to protect our issues from finding unnecessary security aspects. That is, we must not allow everything to be deliberately and artificially given a security aspect. Including the nuclear issue, etc. It is as if sometimes some people think that such halwa halwa makes the mouth sweet and welcome the security-building literature, but in this case we have unintentionally played on the ground designed by the opposing parties.
In response to the question of what do you think the next steps will be after the agreement on the release of Iran's blocked funds, Karimi said: I said that we must protect irrelevant issues from finding a security aspect. In addition, we must definitely pursue the revival of the JCPOA with the winner of the US election and, by implementing the JCPOA for a long time, despite the long and elusive implementation, we will normalize ourselves in the international economic, trade and investment environment. The duration of this normality will lead to habituation and capital inflow, and this is the only and best guarantee for normalizing the environment for ourselves and, as a result, rebuilding these two decades of sanctions and exclusion that have unfortunately been imposed on us. We cannot possibly change the hostile or friendly intentions of our opponents. But we can prevent and refrain from our mistakes in squandering opportunities.
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