They were addressing a webinar highlighting the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action (JCPOA) and international multilateral diplomacy, organized by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad.
Addressing participants, former Senator and senior politician Leiutenant General Abdul Qayyum said Iran is a strong and powerful country of the region with a strong army and rich oil and gas resources.
“It is a wise step of the Biden administration to revive the JCPOA and it is also a best opportunity for Iran to capitalize this opportunity; I think Iran must have a working relationship with the US,” he noted.
He said Iran must keep on abiding its nuclear obligations under the NPT; however, there should be no double standards on nuclear programs of the countries, adding that there is no doubt that Israel is a defacto nuclear power but it has been given a free hand.
The expert said that Iran is a resilient nation and will react strongly if you try to stop its progress or try to isolate it diplomatically.
He said Joe Biden should respect the sovereignty of Iran; in past, there had been attacks on Iranian military commanders and some of them were assassinated.
Abdul Qayyum went on to say that Joe Biden’s good sense to revive the JCPOA should be highly appreciated.
He said that the US must lift sanctions from Iran and stop putting restrictions. He added that Pakistan could not complete the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project due to sanctions despite its energy shortages.
“I think these kinds of arrangements would not work; world needs peace,” he said.
Farid Mirbagheri, Professor of Politics and International Relations at University of Nicosia, Cyprus, said that if the JCPOA is revived, it would open cash lines for Iran, which would help the country to move forward with its economic plans.
He also claimed that reaching the agreement is also challenging in the first place since the agreement has to go through the US Senate where it might ‘encounter tough questions’ from the opposition. The enthusiasm from both Iran and the US for not letting the negotiation derail is indeed welcoming, he said.
Expressing his views, Professor of Politics and International Relations at Quaid-e-Azam University Dr. Syed Qandeel Abbas said that Iran has signed the NPT because its nuclear ambitions are peaceful and it wants to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
He said that despite all assurances from Iran, the West fears that Iran’s nuclear program could be converted into a military nuclear program, but here they are following the policy of double standards and allow Israel a nuclear program without any check.
“IAEA has never endorsed the US false claims against peaceful nuclear program of Iran,” he said.
Dr. Syed Qandeel Abbas said that Chinese investment coming to Iran under a 25 year cooperation agreement has given another option to Iran - other than the JCPOA.
He said Israel has never accepted the JCPOA and they were very happy with former US President Donald Trump for pulling out of Iran nuclear deal.
The professor was of the view that recent Zionist aggression on Palestine was aimed at creating mess in the region.
He noted that Iran, on the other hand, is taking positive steps and is trying to normalize situation in the Middle East, adding that time is very short for the West and it should resolve all issues with Iran peacefully and include the Islamic Republic into regional and international politics.
“It is responsibility of the all international leaders to solve the matter of the JCPOA in a positive manner,” he said.
Imran Sardar, a research analyst from IRS, said that the role of the JCPOA is crucial for breaking deadlock between Iran and the US, adding that Vienna negotiations in this regards is a positive development.
He went on to say that now negotiations are in final stage but the ball is in the court of the West.
He cautioned that the situation in the Middle East and Israel’s strong opposition to the JCPOA were the naked threats to the success of nuclear talks.
He said Iran reiterates that lifting of sanctions is the moral and legal obligation of the US.
He also said the change of leadership in Iran has little impact on the negotiations.
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