London – Iranian and US negotiators resume talks in Vienna on Thursday that could finally resurrect the nuclear agreement in 2015. But that’s big I could.
This week, Iran has stepped up its uranium enrichment program in a new breach of the agreement, which, with the U.S. abandoned and Iran breaching several rules, is now barely alive.
The administration of President Joe Biden wants to reverse the unilateral withdrawal of its predecessor from the nuclear deal, but the process has always been delicate. Sunday’s attack on the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz further complicated matters.
Iran responded to what it did called an act of “nuclear terrorism” for Israel with the announcement that it would begins to enrich uranium to 60% purity: a big step up from its current maximum of 20%.
Although 60% of enriched uranium is not yet technically armed (90% or higher), having a reserve could reduce the time Iran would need to make a bomb, which Iran vehemently insists it does not want. do.
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran through AP
President Hassan Rouhani bluntly said that “60% enrichment is a response to your wickedness,” making it clear that the Iranian regime makes the U.S. and Israel both responsible for the current escalation in tension.
Iran said Friday it had begun enriching uranium to a higher level. The country has said it intends to use the 60% enriched product for radio pharmaceuticals, which can be used to treat diseases such as cancer.
But France, Germany and the United Kingdom, three countries that are also part of the negotiations in Vienna, expressed “serious concern” over the move and said Iran had “no credible need for civilian enrichment.” level “.
In fact, extra-enriched uranium would have less value to Iran as a medical tool than as a new bargaining chip in Vienna.
Stopping 60% enrichment is now something more that Iran can offer in exchange for a lifting of US sanctions.
The talks are tedious because Iran refused to meet American negotiators face to face. European diplomats must transmit all proposals and counter-proposals back and forth.
A senior U.S. State Department official, who spoke to reporters last week, revealed the frustration it is causing.
“You could imagine, for all these questions, how difficult it is when the United States tells the EU, the EU tells the Iranians, the Iranians tell the EU and then they come back to us,” the official said. “That really makes it slower and more complicated.”
There is no doubt that the two sides want an agreement. Iran needs US sanctions to be lifted so it can start selling oil freely to boost its paralyzed economy. The U.S. wants international cooperation and oversight to ensure that Iran does not secretly build nuclear weapons that destabilize the Middle East.
The first round of negotiations last week was to build an agenda: to establish a list of things that both the United States and Iran would have to do to return to the terms of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Plan of Action. ‘Joint Comprehensive Action (JCPOA).
“Overall, the discussions were productive,” a State Department representative said from last week’s talks. “The atmosphere was very constructive.”
This week, if all goes well, Iran and the United States, again through European intermediaries, will begin to analyze in more detail who does what and when. They will also address how each movement can be verified. For example, if the United States pledges to lift sanctions on oil sales, how much oil will Iran want to change before it is satisfied that there are no problems?
Iranian Leader Press Office / Brochure / Getty
For now, Iran’s supreme leader is sitting firmly on the fence over negotiations. On the one hand, he said they are probably a waste of time.
“The offerings they offer are usually arrogant and humiliating … it’s not worth looking at,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech on Monday, the first day of Ramadan.
On the other hand, he lets talks continue, even after Sunday’s humiliating and deeply damaging attack on the Natanz nuclear facility.
However, there is a possibility that if things do not go well this week in Vienna, Khamenei could decide to halt or even stop talks until after Iran’s June national elections, when a new hardline president will take office. of office.
With Iran taking significant steps to end the nuclear deal, including Friday’s claim for 60% uranium enrichment, the impending change of presidency could put a return to the deal completely out of reach. .