President Hassan Rouhani said in a Cabinet meeting today that nuclear negotiations will be passed on to the next administration.

Rouhani lamented the partisanship that has taken over the country during his administration. “When our national team during the negotiations is victorious and scores three goals, why is it so hard for us to applaud them? Why is it hard for us to say 'well done'?” he asked, adding, “This has nothing to do with these partisans or those partisans or this administration or the other administration.”

Rouhani said if Article 60 of the Iranian Constitution had been abided by, there could’ve been a nuclear deal by March. Article 60 of Iran’s Constitution states, “The functions of the executive, except in the matters that are directly placed under the jurisdiction of the supreme leader, are to be exercised by the president and the ministers.”

Rouhani said Article 60 was “struck a blow” on Dec. 1 when Iran’s parliament passed the “Strategic Action to Remove Sanctions” legislation, which reduced Iran’s participation with the International Atomic Energy Agency — among other steps — that has made it more difficult for Iran to re-enter the original terms of the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the United States exited in May 2018. The legislation, as Rouhani indicates, took discretion away from the presidency and gave more power to hard-liners in parliament. It is clear that the process of the nuclear negotiations has been out of his control for some time now and is likely being managed by the supreme national security council and the supreme leader’s office.