The US is seeking to ink a new agreement with Iran similar to their 2015 JCPOA but with stricter conditions, including a permanent and structural change in Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
The deal comes despite pressures imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who seek a “zero enrichment” and a Libya-style deal that dismantles Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
Diplomats from all sides of the negotiations told Reuters on Friday that an initial framework under discussion preserves the core of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - scrapped by President Donlad Trump in 2018 during his first term.
Eight sources said a deal may not look radically different to the former pact, which Trump called the worst in history, but would extend duration to 25 years, tighten verification, and expand so-called sunset clauses that pause but don't completely dismantle aspects of Iran's nuclear program.
Stricter Deal
Under the terms being discussed, Iran would limit stockpile size and centrifuge types, and dilute, export or seal its 60% uranium stock under unprecedented International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scrutiny - all in exchange for substantial sanctions relief, all the sources said.
Also, under proposals discussed in rounds of talks in April, Iran would cap enrichment at 3.67%, in line with the JCPOA, all the sources said, including three Iranian officials.
Tehran is also open to granting the IAEA expanded access to its nuclear sites, the Iranian sources said.
A senior regional source close to Tehran said the current debate over Iran's uranium stockpiles centers on whether Iran “will keep a portion of it - diluted - inside the country while sending another portion abroad, possibly to Russia.”
Meanwhile, the Reuters report mentioned several sticking points, mainly related to Washington’s demand to address the Iranian ballistic program, while Iranian officials say their missile development is not up for negotiation.
Another striking point is related to Iran’s refusal to dismantle its entire nuclear infrastructure.
Diplomats said Netanyahu sees a rare opening because last year’s military campaigns crippled Iran’s air defenses, and decimated Hezbollah’s missile arsenal - Tehran’s primary deterrent.
“This is a historic window for Israel to strike Iran's nuclear sites,” said an official in the Middle East.
The United States, he said, opposes such a move for several reasons - chief among them the concerns of Gulf Arab states, which Washington cannot ignore given its deep strategic and economic ties in the region.
Israel is demanding “zero enrichment” and a Libya-style deal that dismantles Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
One regional security official said Washington is pressing to include the ballistic missile program in the talks, but Tehran “continues to reject any discussion.”
He added that the problem is that without addressing the missile issue, Trump cannot claim that the new deal goes beyond the JCPOA.
One Iranian official previously told Reuters it would not go beyond the requirements of the 2015 deal, offering only to avoid building missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads as a “gesture of goodwill.”
Trump Ups Pressure
While Trump further increased the pressure against Iranian oil, US expects new discussions with Iran “in the near future” on Tehran's nuclear program, despite the postponement of those planned for Saturday.
The talks between the two countries, enemies for four decades, aim to conclude a new agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons - an ambition Tehran has always denied having - in exchange for lifting the sanctions that are crippling its economy.
Washington and Tehran were set to meet for a fourth round of negotiations on Saturday in Rome, after both parties reported progress in previous discussions. But Iran confirmed the postponement on Thursday after the Omani mediator cited “logistical reasons.”
Washington nevertheless indicated it "expects that new discussions will take place in the near future," stating that the date and location of those originally planned for this weekend were never confirmed.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told AFP that other discussions scheduled for Friday, between Iran on one hand, and the United Kingdom, France, and Germany on the other, will also not occur.
Barrot is in Washington, where he met his US counterpart Marco Rubio.
Rubio told Fox News that Iran should not be afraid of nuclear inspections, including by Americans, amid diplomatic efforts between the two countries over Iran’s nuclear program.
Oil Purchases
Trump, who has revived his so-called “maximum pressure” policy on Iran by pressing it to negotiate while threatening to bomb it if diplomacy fails, promised Thursday to be uncompromising in the effective implementation of sanctions dating back to his first term. Specifically, radical measures against Iranian oil.
“All purchases of Iranian oil or petrochemical products must cease, NOW,” the American president emphasized on his Truth social network. “Any country or person buying any amount of Iranian oil or petrochemical products will be immediately subjected to indirect sanctions.”
Trump's warnings come a day after Washington announced new sanctions against seven companies accused of being involved in selling Iranian oil.
In response, Iran slammed a “US policymakers' contradictory approach, and their lack of good faith and seriousness to progress on the path of diplomacy.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said “these sanctions, designed within the framework of the criminal and failed ‘maximum pressure’ policy, expose Washington’s contradictory behavior and its lack of sincerity in advancing diplomacy.”
He said, “The sanctions announced in recent days under various pretexts—targeting Iranian and non-Iranian individuals and companies—are a blatant sign of the US ongoing violations of international norms and its efforts to disrupt legal relations between developing nations through economic terrorism.”
