Former Iranian president Rouhani: Political rivals blocked nuclear deal in 2021

Former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has stated that a renewed nuclear agreement with the US was ready to be signed in 2021, but was prevented by domestic political opponents.

In his remarks on Wednesday, Rouhani revealed new details about the failed negotiations during his final months in office.

“The agreement was prepared for signing,” Rouhani told a meeting in Tehran. “I stepped back in the final weeks because I understood they wanted the deal to happen, but under the next president’s name. I told them, fine – let it be so.”

Rouhani claimed his negotiating team had achieved all of Iran’s key demands by spring 2021.

Then deputy foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi “negotiated the removal of all Trump-era sanctions, even those on the IRGC. They had accepted everything we wanted. I said if they would let us, we could finish it today – just one signature remained.”

“They wouldn’t allow it, just so Rouhani would fail. Who is Rouhani to succeed or fail? They should have thought of the nation,” deplored the former reformist-leaning president, without naming any individual or group.

Rouhani described this as a devastating missed opportunity, but did not give an insight on how they torpedoed the deal supposed to replace the JCPOA.

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