Talk emerged yesterday of a deal on nuclear enrichment between the US and Iran, though there’s still no meeting in the middle.
People “familiar” with the Islamabad negotiations told The New York Times that “the U.S. position was not a permanent ban on nuclear enrichment by Iran. Instead, the United States proposed a 20-year ‘suspension’ of all nuclear activity. That would allow the Iranians to claim they had not permanently given up their right, under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, to produce their own nuclear fuel.
“In response, Iran renewed a proposal that it suspend nuclear activity for up to five years, according to two senior Iranian officials and one U.S. official. The Iranians had made a very similar proposal in February during a failed set of negotiations in Geneva that convinced President Trump it was time to go to war. Days later, he ordered the attack on Iran.”
The “revelation that the two sides are now arguing over the time period for suspending nuclear activity suggests that there may well be room for a deal, and there were indications on Monday that negotiators may meet again in the coming days. White House officials said no meetings had been finalized, but another round of in-person negotiations was being discussed.
“But for Mr. Trump and his aides there is also the risk that any agreement that emerges may resemble the 2015 nuclear accord...”
Trump told The New York Post yesterday that US-Iran peace talks “could be happening over next two days” in Islamabad. In an initial phone interview, Trump had claimed that discussions were “happening, but, you know, a little bit slow” before indicating that a second round of direct negotiations to end the seven-week war would likely happen somewhere in Europe.
“You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” he said of Islamabad in a followup discussion later. “It’s more likely, you know why? Because the field marshal is doing a great job,” Trump added in reference to Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, who landed in Tehran today where he was greeted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
