No Deal Yet, But Significant Progress in Iran Talks
Negotiators Praise Iran's Offer as Important Contribution
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
Two-day talks between Iran and the P5+1 ended today in Geneva, with a next round of talks scheduled for November 7-8. Unlike the past meetings without agreement, where both sides agreed to simply punt the talks down the road, these talks appear to have yielded substantial progress.
The European Union was quick to praise Iran’s offer, saying they were an “important contribution,” and even US officials conceded they’d never had such intense, detailed conversations with Iran on the nation’s civilian nuclear program before.
The specifics of Iran’s offer have not been made public yet, but Iran has been reported to have offered significant limitations to the scope of its civilian enrichment program, and to offer additional inspections above and beyond those required by their IAEA safeguards agreement.
That last part seems huge, with reports that they will offer “snap visits” to Iran’s nuclear sites as part of the deal, and even before the November meetings, the P5+1 is planning to have a side-meeting with Iran just to flesh out the details of the inspections.
Iranian officials had expressed hope going into this conference that a final settlement could be reached within six months, and while it is of course too soon to say if that’s going to happen, for the first time in years of negotiations, it seems a possibility.
US Considering Letting Iran Keep Its Civilian Uranium Enrichment
Concession Would Further Enrage Israel About Peace Talks
by Jason Ditz, October 15, 2013
According to the Wall Street Journal, President Obama is considering a major concession in the ongoing P5+1 talks with Iran, admitting that Iran has the right to civilian enrichment of uranium in its own territory.
Which, of course, Iran has every right to under their IAEA safeguards agreement. Yet the US has regularly demanded Iran scrap the enrichment program, and that demand has been the centerpiece of US threats against Iran for years now.
Iran’s latest offer, the full details of which have not been made public, reportedly offers to pare back the scope of the enrichment program and grant additional inspections above and beyond the safeguards mandate, but they have insisted that the basic right to the program must remain.
The other five members of the P5+1 are already there by all indications, and the Iranian offer seems to be a major chance at a deal, assuming the US can be brought on board.
If they are, expect Israel to be even more outraged than they usually are about the Iranian peace talks, because Israeli officials have demanded that not only Iran be made to close the entire program, but also surrender its existing, low-enriched uranium to the international community.
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