During the last round of negotiations a week ago, which were aimed at reaching an agreement, the Iranian delegation left, but without meeting with the American representatives. In addition, this time there was a relatively lower level of the American delegation – led by Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, special envoy for Ukraine and the Middle East. Vice President Vance remained in the US, awaiting a possible signal of progress in the negotiations. This shows that the fundamental differences between the two countries on the regulation of nuclear issues – for example, US sanctions against Iran and whether to continue the Iranian nuclear program, remain unresolved. However, at a tactical level, there may be some progress, with both sides giving such signals. This was announced to Lili Marinkova in the studio “FACTI“ and the program “Conversation“ by political scientist Marian Karagyozov.
“The American side's request is for Iran to completely abandon the storage of enriched uranium. It is possible to find a compromise - in previous cases this has happened, but at a lower level of enrichment and smaller quantities. When the so-called nuclear deal with Iran was concluded during the Obama administration, in which European countries also participated, the quantities of enriched uranium were transferred for storage in a third country - Russia. There was speculation that the contacts of the Iranian delegation, which flew from Islamabad to the capital of Oman, and then to Moscow, may be part of an attempt for a similar “remake“ of this deal. It is somewhat ironic that Donald Trump could conclude such an agreement after it was he who unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear deal in 2018, arguing that it was not good enough for the US. However, no better deal has been reached since then“, the guest added.
“So on the issue of uranium enrichment, a compromise can be sought in which Iran does not give up its right to a nuclear program for peaceful purposes, but has strict international control. More difficult to resolve remains the issue of Iran's demands for control over the Strait of Hormuz, which contradicts international law and seems difficult to accept for the US administration. Iran wants, together with Oman, to control who passes through the strait, which is in no way acceptable to the US“, the political scientist added.
See more of the conversation in the VIDEO.