The United States and Iran are currently discussing a possible way forward on Iran’s nuclear programme, even as the ceasefire between the two sides remains fragile.
Negotiators have narrowed down the talks to four major nuclear issues that will decide whether a broader agreement is possible, according to the NY Times.
The first issue is uranium enrichment, where the US wants Iran to stop enrichment for a long period, possibly up to 20 years. Iran has offered a shorter pause of around 10 years, with some reports suggesting a possible middle ground of 15 years.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said even a 20-year ban might not be enough, but later he suggested he could accept it if it was a “real 20 years”. It is still unclear whether he would agree to a 15-year deal.
Second, both sides are debating what should happen to Iran’s existing stockpile of enriched uranium. The US wants it to be reduced or “downblended” under the supervision of international inspectors, while Iran wants to keep control over the material and limit outside involvement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that any deal must include all of Iran’s enriched uranium, about 11 tons. Iran has not clearly said whether it is ready to give up its full stockpile.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump had said, “We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s on site or whether we take it off site.”
Third, the US wants Iran to completely shut down its three main nuclear sites of Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan. Iran’s stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium is believed to be stored deep underground in Ifsahan.
Iran has agreed to close two of these sites, but it wants to keep one site running because it says it still has the “right to enrich uranium” for peaceful purposes.
US officials are worried about this idea. In the past, a similar nuclear deal during Barack Obama’s time did not fully shut down the Fordo site. Later, Iran restarted activities there, which became a concern again.
Officials believe that if even one site remains open, it could still be used in the future for making weapons, especially if it is hidden or underground. At this stage, Iran has not clearly responded to the US demand.
The fourth major issue in the talks is international inspections of Iran’s nuclear programme. The US wants inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to be able to carry out “snap inspections”, meaning they can visit any suspected nuclear site at any time without advance notice.
It is unclear whether Iran will agree to this. In the past, inspectors have often been denied access to some locations, especially military bases controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), where some suspected nuclear activities are believed to have taken place.
If Iran accepts this demand, along with the other three conditions being discussed, it would be a much stricter arrangement than the nuclear deal reached in 2015.
