Nuclear dispute: « decisive » conversations between the USA and Iran

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran on the controversial Iranian nuclear program continue. At the fourth round of talks in the Omani capital Maskat, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi and the US special envoy Steve Witkoff met again. Host Oman again takes on the role of the intermediary. Araghtschi described this negotiating round as « decisive » for the further course of the nuclear discussions.

The fourth round should have taken place in Rome last week, but was postponed – supposedly for logistical reasons. However, there was also talk of different views about Iran’s right to its own nuclear technology. Tehran repeatedly claims not to strive for its own nuclear weapons program, but categorically rejects the waiver of its own civilian nuclear program – and in particular on an independent uranium enrichment.

Iran: Stopping stop not negotiable

Araghtschi said: « If it is only about the question of nuclear weapons, we can clear out the concerns and then an agreement is quite possible. But an enrichment stop is not negotiable. » He asked the Americans to clearly formulate their positions in the negotiations instead of communicating them « contradictory » over the media. Iran will only proceed on the basis of its national interests, « otherwise it will be problematic, » said the chief diplomat according to the IRNA news agency.

US President Donald Trump had recently threatened Iran with a massive bombing, should there be no deal. According to Witkoff, a condition of the United States is that Iran gives up its enrichment program completely.

Trump terminated Pact 2018 himself

In 2015, Iran had agreed to restrict its nuclear program in the Vienna nuclear Agreement after long negotiations with China, Russia, the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain. However, Trump unilaterally got out of the pact in 2018 and imposed new, hard sanctions. Then Tehran no longer adhered to the requirements of the agreement. Now the US President wants a new deal.

Tehran has signaled the willingness to compromise to return to the technical restrictions of the 2015 nuclear agreement – but only if the US sanctions are canceled. These have plunged the country into a historical financial crisis. Without lifting the sanctions, an economic chaos threatens that could even lead to unrest in the long term.

In addition to the nuclear dispute, the negotiations are also about Iranian Middle East Policy, especially about the self -proclaimed resistance axis against arch enemy Israel and the rocket program. Iran is still covered with these issues, but in view of the economic emergency, observers also expect Tehran’s concessions here.