Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 9
By Saeed Isayev - Trend:
A milestone in Iranian compliance is later this month and there is therefore little reason to assume that Iran will not meet targets set for the six-month period, Senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, James M. Dorsey told Trend.
"A milestone in Iranian compliance is later in January," he underscored.
The expert was commenting on how Iran is complying with the agreement that the country's negotiating team reached with P5+1 group in Nov. 2013.
Iran has agreed to curb some of its nuclear activities for six months in return for sanctions relief. Iran and the P5+1 group held the latest expert-level meeting on Dec. 31, 2013.
"This is not to say that there are not still complex issues that need to be resolved for a final resolution," Dorsey said. "Having said there is no reason not to be cautiously optimistic."
"Iran has so far kept its end of the bargain while the West has been as accommodating as possible," he added.
Speaking about Iran's image on international arena, with several European delegations visiting the country, Dorsey said that increased contact with Europe is a result of the preliminary six-month agreement reached late last year.
"It is intended to encourage Iran to conclude a final resolution of the nuclear issue and to demonstrate to Iran the benefits of such an agreement," he said.
"Obviously, it demonstrates that Iran's return to the international fold would be welcomed if indeed the nuclear issue is definitively settled," Dorsey noted.
The expert said Iran has already seen substantial improvement of its image and standing and can expect that to be enhanced if negotiations are successful.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical researches instead.
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