Iran Lawmaker Says Parliament Hasn’t Seen Any Draft Nuclear Agreement

An Iranian lawmaker says there is no draft based on a final agreement of the Vienna negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Ebrahim Azizi, the deputy chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Monday, “A draft that is the basis of the final agreement has not yet been prepared because the talks are still in the final stage and not completely over”.

He made the remarks in reaction to several Iranian lawmakers, including Ali Khezrian, who had claimed last week they had seen a 27-page final draft of an agreement between Iran and the United States, adding that Iran’s red lines were not considered in the draft.

Azizi added that no drafts have been submitted to the parliament but Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and top negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani have briefed different committees about the issues raised in the talks and the views of the negotiation parties.

European Union Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said in March that a draft text is "essentially ready", but hampered by "external factors".

Earlier in the day, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, "America is responsible for the halt of these talks and dragging it in coming days. The solution is in the White House. [The US] must give a logical response to Iran's request so that we can return to Vienna".

Khatibzadeh acknowledged for the first time in late February that a draft agreement is “97-98 percent ready”.