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Asian Angle | US-Iran talks on a mini nuclear deal are motivated by mutual convenience, not a desire to rejoin the original accord
- Washington and Tehran are reportedly discussing a mini-deal regarding Iran’s nuclear programme in an effort to prevent the dispute from escalating into armed conflict
- Any deal would mean Iran’s commitment not to further enrich its uranium stockpile. In return, Tehran would want relief from financial sanctions
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Nine months after negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme broke down, Washington and Tehran are reportedly discussing a mini-deal aimed at preventing the dispute from escalating into armed conflict.
The agenda of their indirect talks, spearheaded by Gulf peacemaker Oman since May, has been kept secret, and both sides have denied reports of an interim deal.
But media reports and statements by senior officials suggest a deal would involve Iran committing to not further enriching its uranium stockpile, which is technically one step below nuclear-weapons grade.
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Inspectors from the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, would be granted greater access to ensure compliance, according to the reports.
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In return, Iran wants some relief from the “maximum pressure” financial sanctions imposed in 2018 by then president Donald Trump’s administration, after it unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official title of the 2015 deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
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