TEHRAN — As the first day of the new round of talks in Vienna ended, one thing is certainly noticeable: Israelis are knocking on every door to stop Iran and P4+1 reach an agreement on how to find ways to lift illegal sanctions imposed on Iran.

On the eve of the Vienna talks, the first since Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi took office, the UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, co-authored an article with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, published in the Daily telegraph. 

Truss and Lapid wrote that they will work together “night and day” to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. 

“We will also work night and day to prevent the Iranian regime from ever becoming a nuclear power. The clock is ticking, which heightens the need for close cooperation with our partners and friends to thwart Tehran’s ambitions,” they wrote on Sunday, November 28.

On the same day, and prior to publishing the aforementioned article, Iran’s top negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, wrote for Financial Times, clarifying Iran’s demands and positions.

“We are ready for a fair and careful discussion, based on the principles of ‘guarantee’ and ‘verification’. This must prioritize compensation for the violation of the deal, which includes the removal of all post-JCPOA sanctions. In return, Iran is ready to voluntarily fulfil its nuclear commitments in accordance with the agreement. We remain prepared to react proportionately to any pressure and reciprocate any goodwill gesture. We have made our choice. We will now find out whether or not the West has the will to enter real negotiations,” Bagheri noted. 

In response to the article written by the UK foreign secretary and her Israeli counterpart, the Iranian foreign ministry on Monday tweeted, “UK issues anti-Iran statement w Israeli regime- a nuke-holder & enemy of '15 agreement.

Utter lack of good will & evident sign that London doesn’t seek to preserve the deal.

You can’t have lunch w foe of a deal & for dinner sit at another table to claim support for the same deal.”

The difference is clear. The Iranian top negotiator writes and clarifies Iran’s position, speaks of goodwill and seriousness to have fruitful talks. But we have the UK top diplomat, allying with Iran’s biggest enemy. This sends the signal that the UK thinks that the Vienna talks are doomed to failure before it even started.

In line with the UK-Israeli alliance to portray the Vienna talks as a failure, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett released a video. In that video, Bennett said, “I call upon our allies around the world: Do not give in to Iran's nuclear blackmail!” 

He continued his bogus speech by saying that Iran deserves no rewards.

Iran has sent a delegation to Vienna consisting of 40 experts from various fields, including diplomacy, law, economy, trade, oil, banking, and so on. The well-staffed team Iran has put together means one thing: From the first round, Iran is determined to seriously enter the talks and examine ways that the sanctions can be removed. However, the United States has brought a delegation to Vienna, consisting of political experts. 

Are Israel, the UK, and the U.S. on the same page? has a plot been engineered by the three buddies to stop Iran from getting its frozen assets being unlawfully blocked by the United States? 

The United States has imposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian people, even threatening the lives of the sick. The sanctions have affected cancer patients and EB patients among others. The EB patients are even deprived of the special bandaids they need. Iran is negotiating to lift sanctions to lessen the sufferings of these patients. 

In an article on Monday, November 29, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran is determined to achieve a “good, sustainable, and effective verifiable deal.”

“Despite the unfulfilled promises of the West and distrust towards the unconstructive approach and policies of the White House, the Islamic Republic of Iran will endeavor ‘with true determination’ and ‘in good faith’ in the Vienna negotiations to achieve a ‘good,’ sustainable and effective verifiable deal for the lifting of sanctions,” the foreign minister wrote. 

Is the West ready? If yes, they must end the excuses and seriously enter the talks.