Tehran-Washington Talks In Limbo Over Uranium Enrichment

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) News report by Montathar Watan
TEHRAN, June 11 (KUNA) -- Indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US are embroiled in a very sensitive and critical phase amid the former's insistence on uranium enrichment versus the latter's opposition.
With Tehran and Washington having so far held five rounds of indirect talks, uranium enrichment is looming ahead as the core stumbling block to the ardent negotiation track in light of absolute mistrust between both sides.
Being the cornerstone of Iran's nuclear project, uranium enrichment, just as anticipated, has hindered Iran-US nuclear talks, with Washington leaving no stone unturned to compel Tehran to backpedal on its nuclear program.
Tehran and Washington have held talks since April to hammer out a fresh nuclear accord to replace a deal with major powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
Iran has rejected a recent U.S. proposal on the Iranian nuclear issue and said it would soon come up with a counterproposal for a nuclear deal to the US via mediator Oman.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blasted the US proposal as "lacking elements" reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations, but said, "We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through Oman once it is finalized."
Observers are in the belief that the US offer failed to consider Iran's remarks and interests, quoting Spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baghaei as remarking that Iran was not satisfied with the US proposal and it would present its version via mediator Oman.
Apparently, both Tehran and Washington should show some flexibility and make hard choices in order to find a way out of this cul-de-sac.
Observers inside and outside Iran are waiting for the Iranian decision-maker to respond to the U.S. initiative, possibly based on a middle-ground policy only in a bid to keep the door open for forthcoming negotiations and bargaining.
In this regard, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated during a recent visit to Cairo that it was uneasy to reach a way out through five rounds of indirect nuclear talks due to many disagreements between both sides.
However, Araghchi underlined that this did not mean that it was impossible for Iran and the U.S. to arrive at a nuclear agreement.
Last week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the US proposal as against Iran's interests, pledging to continue enrichment on Iranian soil.
US President Donald Trump has lately threatened military action against Iran if a new nuclear agreement is not reached to replace the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Washington withdrew in 2018.
Commenting on this in a statement to KUNA, Iranian expert Dr. Sabah Zankanah said that Tehran would not accept any offer that fails to guarantee its interests.
He added that failure to put Iran's demands and rights into consideration is a mere bid to impose solutions on Tehran, considering this "an embarrassing point in this topic".
Zankanah, Iran's former representative at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), voiced his country's opposition to this offer as being the sole way out of the problem.
Urging Washington to stop pressuring Tehran, he said that both sides could arrive at a framework agreement and put thorny technical issues on the back burner.
However, the Iranian expert stressed that his country would not escalate the situation and would even stick to negotiations until an acceptable solution was reached.
Asked if Tehran could suspend uranium enrichment for a specific period in exchange for lifting sanctions and releasing its frozen assets, the Iranian expert that Iran would never accept uranium enrichment irrespective of looming consequences.
For his part, Iranian journalist Sayed Saleh Qazwini said in a statement to KUNA that the recent address given by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had thrown much weight behind the Iranian negotiation team, who is, thence, expected to be more recalcitrant than U.S. negotiators.
He underlined that Iran would cling to uranium enrichment as a substantial issue, affirming that the US side is well aware of this but it could seek further concessions.
He added that by calling on Tehran to halt uranium enrichment, Washington is seeking to practice a psychological warfare on Iranian negotiators or to oblige them to give more concessions.
However, Qazwini believed that the Iranian side would not reject the US offer as a whole, quoting the Iranian foreign minister as saying that the US proposal contained many ambiguities and queries.
The Iranian expert sounded the alarm about the bare consequences of possibly failed nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, predicting further regional escalations and tensions.
US President Donald Trump had vowed that Iran would not enrich uranium under any potential nuclear deal, while Tehran defended what it said was its "peaceful" pursuit of fuel for power generation.
Iran announced on Tuesday that the sixth round of indirect nuclear talks with the US would take place next Sunday in the Omani capital of Muscat.
Spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baghaei told the press that based on recent consultations, the next round of Iran-US indirect negotiations is being planned for next Sunday in Muscat.
Iran and the United States have now held five rounds of indirect negotiations mediated by Oman and attended by Iranian top diplomat Araqchi and US special envoy to Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is set to convene a Board of Governors meeting from Monday to Friday in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear activities. (end)
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