Iran proposes a new path to the nuclear deal with us

Iran has proposed the establishment of a joint nuclear enrichment project that includes Arab regional countries and American investments as an alternative to Washington’s demand to dismantle its nuclear program, according to four Iranian officials familiar with the plan.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Aragichi, proposed the idea to an American special envoy, Steve Witkeov, when the two men held direct and indirect talks in Amman on Sunday, according to the four Iranian officials. They asked not to be named because they were discussing sensitive issues.

On Tuesday, many Iranian media have published accounts on the first page on the “new plan on the negotiating table”. One of these outlets was the Vitritejan newspaper, which belongs to the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The issue of whether the proposal raised a “service or betrayal.”

Mr. Wittakov’s office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council did not respond to the suspension requests on negotiations.

It was not immediately clear how feasible the regional nuclear project if Iran and two of its largest competitors participated, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic ties for 45 years, and American private companies may be hesitant to invest in Iranian nuclear reactors.

President Trump, Ali A visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on TuesdayHe criticized Iran for its support for the agency’s armed groups in the Middle East, but said that a diplomatic decision with Iran would make the region safer.

“I want to deal with Iran,” said Mr. Trump. “If I can agree with Iran, I will be very happy, if we will make your region and the world a safer place“

But the Iranian leaders, and warned against that, need to make a decision soon, otherwise they will face more economic pressure from sanctions. “Time now for them to choose,” He said. “Now, we don’t have much time to wait.”

Iran’s proposal requires the establishment of a nuclear union from three countries in which Iran enriches Iran to a low degree, at the bottom of that required for nuclear weapons, then shipping it to other Arab countries for civil use, According to the four Iranian officials and news reports.

The deal that would allow Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent would resemble the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the global authorities. But the main difference is the presence of representatives on the ground from other countries-perhaps to the United States-to provide an additional layer of censorship and participation.

The four Iranian officials said that unlike the 2015 nuclear deal, which had a 15 -year expiration date, the joint project plan will be permanent. This would allow Mr. Trump, who brought the United States out of that deal, to argue that he has obtained much more than Iran than President Barack Obama.

Ali Fayez, director of the International Crisis Group, said that although the idea of ​​adventure was new and unpopular, negotiators needed to try a different approach. He said: “They are mainly at a stage that they must exceed beyond the maximum amount of zero in order for the two sides to save the face.”

Before Sunday talks in Amman, Iran and the United States seem to be heading to a dead end, Raising the threat of military confrontation. Both Iranian and American officials said they wanted to avoid war and solve diplomatic confrontation.

After weeks of contradictory observations about what Washington was asking for exactly from Tehran, the Master said to Breitbart News in interview The United States has sought to completely dismantle the Iranian nuclear program, and this means not enriching, and closing its three main facilities in Natanz, Ford and Asphan.

Iranian officials often said that the closure of the nuclear program would constitute a red line, and soon, Mr. Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, responded to Mr. Witkoff in interviews with the Iranian media. He said that Iran pushed “blood” to its civil nuclear program – referring to Nuclear scholars assassinate them by Israel. He said that his right to enrich uranium to a civil degree was the issue of “national pride” and not free.

But after Mr. Witkeov and Mr. Aragchi He met for three hours In Amman, both sides appeared in a reconciliation tone, describing the negotiations as fruitful and encouraging. They said that the talks will be transferred to the technical teams experts, which are usually negotiating the details about nuclear installations and financial issues related to the penalties.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Badr Albusaydi, said in Social media publication On Sunday, the talks included “useful and original ideas that reflect a common desire to reach an honorable agreement.”

Mr. Aragchchi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia before interviewing the Americans and traveling to the United Arab Emirates immediately after meeting Mr. Witkeov.

It was not immediately clear whether the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are interested in a joint nuclear project with Iran.

The two countries said that they are Eager Between Tehran and Washington to avoid a regional war, but both have ambitions Building civil nuclear programs.

In 2020, the UAE became the first Arab country Open a nuclear power plant, Saying that it needs nuclear energy to reduce its dependence on oil, but its agreement with the United States prevents it from enriching uranium. This has sparked fears that it could lead to a race between the Arab countries for nuclear programs.

Seyed Hossin Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat and member of the nuclear negotiating team in 2015, originally written about the idea of ​​regional nuclear consortium in 2023 in article In the bulletin of the atomic scholars. Mr. Mossavian, who is now a researcher in Princeton, wrote with the physicist at that university, Frank von Hypel.

In an interview, Mr. Mossavian said that if the proposal progresses forward, he will address many of America’s concerns. This will remove the immediate threat to the Iranian nuclear program by reducing its enrichment and stockpile. He said he would also address long -term fears about the path of Iran, as happened a year after Mr. Trump left the nuclear deal in 2018.

“If Trump declares a regional nuclear agreement, it will be a great victory,” said Mossavian. “It removes the direct and future threat from Iran, contains enrichment aspirations in the region and collects new deals for the Americans.”