US president Donald Trump has demanded Tehran dismantle its nuclear programme as the price for the lifting of sanctions which are crippling Iran’s economy. “WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” he wrote on his Truth Social on Monday night.
Iran says its right to enrichment of uranium is non-negotiable.
During five rounds of talks on a nuclear deal since April, the Trump administration has made conflicting statements on whether it wants Iran to halt all uranium enrichment or maintain low levels of enrichment.
In recent weeks Mr Trump and US envoy Steve Witkoff have said Iran must end all enrichment activities.
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This stand, however, contradicted a proposal on Saturday, reported by US-based Axios website, for the lifting of sanctions in exchange for the limiting of enrichment to 3.67 per cent purity – which can be used for medicine and power generation.
[ Iran has increased stockpile of highly enriched uranium, watchdog revealsOpens in new window ]
Under such an agreement, Iran would be banned from building new enrichment plants and advancing nuclear research and development. It would dismantle uranium-processing facilities and make underground enrichment facilities non-operational. Iran would also be obliged to adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements. The proposal reiterates a decade-old plan for Iran to create a consortium with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to handle enrichment for civilian purposes. This has been rejected by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Sanctions relief would be granted once Iran “demonstrates real commitment” as assessed by the US and the IAEA.
In response, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the US had not delivered assurances on sanctions relief. Iran is seeking guarantees and mechanisms for sanctions removal.
After a recent meeting in Cairo with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said: “If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached.”
His comment came in response to Mr Grossi’s call for “more transparency” over Iran’s nuclear activities after an IAEA report revealed that Iran has stepped up production of uranium enrichment to 60 per cent, closer to the 90 per cent required for weapons – which Iran contends it has no intention of producing.
[ Iran will survive if nuclear deal not agreed with US, says presidentOpens in new window ]
During next week’s meeting in Vienna of the IAEA board of governors, western powers are expected to table a resolution to trigger intrusive sanctions against Iran for failing to provide information on past and present nuclear activities and failing to co-operate fully with the IAEA. Iran’s atomic energy agency and foreign ministry have rejected this threat and argued it is in full compliance with non-proliferation commitments and violated the 2015 deal only after the US abandoned it.
Although that deal – negotiated between Iran, the US, China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK – was successful in containing Iran’s nuclear activities and lifting sanctions, Mr Trump withdrew the US in 2018 and placed 1,500 fresh sanctions on Iran. Since returning to office in January, he has intensified his “maximum pressure” campaign to compel Iran to submit to his demands on the nuclear deal and other issues and threatened military action if negotiations fail.
