IRAN DEPFORMIN WILL VISIT LONDON TO PITCH IAEA-IRAN AGREEMENT

SECRET S E C R E T LONDON 003362 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2017 TAGS: PREL, KNNP, MNUC, IR, UK SUBJECT: IRAN DEPFORMIN WILL VISIT LONDON TO PITCH IAEA-IRAN AGREEMENT Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Maura Connelly for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 1. (S) Summary: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) today told London Iran Watcher (Poloff) that Iran,s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Jalili will visit London Friday September 7 to push Iran,s recent agreement with the IAEA as Iran,s preferred means of addressing the nuclear issue, but that FCO will reject Jalili's approach and refer him to UNSCR resolutions 1737 and 1747, of which Iran remains in violation. End summary. 2. (S) FCO Iran Multilateral Team Leader Will Gelling told Poloff that Jalili had asked to meet with an array of senior UK officials, but HMG responded that the only senior UK official available to meet is FCO Political Director Mark Lyall Grant. Gelling said the FCO believes this Iranian visit is part of what FCO understands may be a broader diplomatic push by the IRI in P5 plus 1 capitals and elsewhere to promote the IAEA-IRI agreement. 3. (S) Gelling said Lyall Grant is scheduled to receive Jalili September 7, and will tell Jalili the UK, the P5 1 and the international community see Iranian compliance with UNSC resolutions 1737 and 1747, and engagement with the P5 plus 1 in accordance with those resolutions, as the only acceptable way for Iran to address its nuclear obligations. 4. (S) FCO had earlier briefed Poloff that Iran's deputy head of its London embassy had, during a July 17 call on FCO Iran Cordinator Antony Phillipson, offered to send a "special envoy" from Ahmedinejad to the HMG, either at the Deputy Foreign Minister level or someone from Ahmedinejad's own office. At the time, Phillipson had deflected the offer as more appropriately addressed to Simon McDonald, the Prime Minister's chief foreign policy advisor, who was then travelling. Gelling today said there had been no follow-up from the IRI on its July 17 proposal (Embassy comment: This approach is not the first IRI feeler of this kind to the FCO. End comment). Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm LeBaron