TEHRAN — As the Vienna talks reach a critical stage, the Western negotiators are trying to portray an unrealistic atmosphere of the talks.

However, it should be noted that what is happening in the negotiation rooms are a whole lot different from the Western media narratives.

As Iranian officials have repeatedly stated, Iran’s red lines in the ongoing talks to remove the sanctions imposed on Iran are crystal clear, and Tehran refuses to back down from its demands. But the Westerners seem reluctant to consider this obvious fact.

What the E3 (France, UK, and Germany) and their mainstream media refuse to narrate is that Iran has shown the required flexibility throughout ten months of intensive negotiations. Yet, this flexibility has not been portrayed from their side in response.

Negotiation is a process of give and take, and the European troika must know that the era of bullying is over. They cannot have their way at any cost, as Iran seeks to reach an agreement that will preserve the rights of its citizens. 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stated on Tuesday that under no circumstances will the negotiators cross Iran’s red lines.

The foreign minister added, “At the same time, we consider the necessity of any negotiation to be useful and that there should be conceivable benefits for the great nation of Iran in the negotiations.”

The message Iran has sent is loud and clear, but there is an ambiguity here, regarding the Westerners’ reluctance to hear the clear message of Iran. 

In this regard, Amir Abdollahian said on Tuesday, “We hope that the few sensitive and important issues remaining in the talks will be resolved in the coming days with the realism of the West. Let us believe that the results of the efforts made in the past 9 months be that all parties will adhere to their full obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement.”

The Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported on Tuesday that the most important remaining issues mostly center on the scope of sanctions relief and the way to lift the sanctions in addition to other issues pertaining to disagreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Citing sources familiar with the talks, the newspaper said the U.S. is still insisting on some sensitive sanctions that, if not lifted, would lessen Iran’s benefits from any deal. 

The sanctions in question need political decisions by the Biden administration.

The U.S. is yet to make such decisions and therefore a deal remains unlikely in the foreseeable future. This comes at a time when heads of delegations are preparing for a break for consequential consultations in capitals. Before the current round of talks, Iran had made all the necessary political decisions to move ahead with the talks. Therefore, it's unlikely that the break would result in a change in Iran’s decisions.

There is little doubt that the ball is in the E3 and the United States’ court. Iran made a great political decision in May 2018, and that was remaining in the internationally recognized 2015 nuclear deal despite United States’ illegal and unilateral withdrawal from the agreement. 

The amount of strategic patience and resistance Iran showed was unbelievable, even to the West. Now it is the United States’ turn to make a tough political decision.