The United States said on Tuesday that Iran had made concessions on key points, reviving hopes of a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, though it has yet to issue a formal response to the Iranian proposals.
“In addition to the restrictions on the nuclear program that Iran would have to implement, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) could once again oversee the most drastic inspection regime in history,” the official said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the investigation. the negotiations.
He added that the international inspections “would remain for an indefinite period” if agreed. The Iranians demanded that the IAEA cease its investigation of undeclared sites in Iran, where traces of enriched uranium have been found.
Save the 2015 deal
The Iranian nuclear negotiations, which began 16 months ago but had been suspended and then resumed in early August, aim to save the international agreement signed in 2015 with the Tehran regime by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (China , the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia) plus Germany, from which Washington withdrew in force in 2018 under the presidency of Donald Trump.
The US official also dismissed any notion of US concessions, saying it was “Iran that made concessions on important issues.”
“There are still disparities to overcome, but if we were to agree to return to the (2015) nuclear deal, Iran would have to take many significant steps aimed at dismantling its nuclear program,” he said, adding.
Among them, Iran would be prohibited from enriching uranium beyond 3.67% and storing more than 300 kilos of it until 2031, and thousands of centrifuges would be stopped and dismantled, according to this source.
Opposition from some Americans?
The Americans remain very discreet about the ongoing negotiations and, a fortiori, about their own concessions, while publicly assuring that they are willing to return to the agreement. President Joe Biden promised after his election to revive the nuclear deal, but he faces strong opposition in the United States, particularly from Republicans.
Especially since the United States recently revealed a plot to assassinate John Bolton, former White House national security adviser, fomented according to Washington by a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
For Suzanne DiMaggio of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the two sides had to be flexible to reach this stage of the negotiations.
“Neither side will admit it, but the reality is that in a negotiation with so much at stake, especially between adversaries, making difficult compromises is the only way to reach an agreement,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
