Washington and Tehran take a tough public stance before consultations, and enrichment is a key issue.
Iran and the US will hold fifth round of consultations on Tehran’s nuclear program amid uncompromising rhetoric on both sides.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut and President Donald Trump’s Middle Eastern mission Steve Witkov are scheduled to meet in Rome on Friday.
Ongoing consultations mediated by Oman call for new deals that will easify international sanctions and prevent Iran from being hampered from nuclear weapon production. However, so far there has been little progress. Both Washington and Tehran have recently taken a tough stance in public, particularly when it comes to enriching uranium in Iran.
Witkov said Iran would not be allowed to carry out enrichment.
Tehran has raised its enrichment to about 60%, far exceeding the needs of civilians, but has rejected that “red line” below the 90% required for weaponization.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called the demand “overly and outrageous” and warned that ongoing consultations are unlikely to bring about results.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington would reach an agreement that would allow Iran to have a private nuclear program but would not enrich uranium.
On Thursday, the State Department announced new sanctions on Iran’s construction sector.
“Learning the path to trading is not rocket science,” Araguchi told social media Friday morning. “Zero nuclear weapons = there is a contract. Zero enrichment = there is no trade. Time to decide…”
A spokesman for Tehran’s Foreign Ministry aimed at new sanctions and called the move “malicious, illegal and inhuman.”
High Stakes
The interests are high for both parties. Trump wants to reduce the likelihood of Tehran producing nuclear weapons that could trigger a regional nuclear warfare.
Iran, which claims its nuclear ambitions are strictly civilians, is trying to ease international sanctions that hinder its economy.
During his first term in 2018, Trump resolved the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). This is the 2015 agreement in which Iran reduced its nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions.
After returning to the White House for a second term in January, Trump updated his “maximum pressure” program on Iran, building up further economic pressure, for example by suffocating the country’s oil exports, particularly China.
Iran responded, pledging to prevent attacks and escalate enrichment well beyond the limits of the 2015 agreement.
Tensions began to ease in April as the two countries began consultations via Oman, but Tehran’s enrichment programme became a major issue.
If that’s what you see the lecture failing, the costs can be high. Trump has repeatedly threatened military action if he fails to reach a deal.
Israel, who opposes the US’s discussions with local enemies, warns that Iran will never allow it to acquire nuclear weapons. Following reports that Israel may be planning to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, Araguc warned on Thursday that Washington will be held legally liable if Iran is attacked.