The United States and Iran, through Qatar, are exchanging amendments to a framework document for an agreement dealing with the Iranian nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to CNN.
This path began weeks, and perhaps months ago, and accelerated in recent days after the US midterm elections, amid fears of new strikes. The two parties, as well as Qatar, revealed little about the content of the talks.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump will meet with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani in Washington.
Washington wants Iran not to have the capabilities necessary to make a nuclear weapon, including advanced equipment. The US administration wants to reduce the purity of the enriched uranium that Tehran keeps, estimated at hundreds of kilograms, or transfer it to another country for safekeeping. It is not clear how far the two parties have progressed on this point.
Tehran considers its nuclear program a matter of “national sovereignty.” It stipulates seven conditions before negotiating it or reopening the strait, including ending the war on “all fronts” and lifting the naval blockade, without its full details being announced.
Iran is also demanding the easing of sanctions on its oil sales, the release of its assets frozen in foreign banks, and compensation for the killing of former guide Ali Khamenei and its senior military commanders at the beginning of the war.
CNN sources said that Washington appears to be considering easing these restrictions.
The order of implementation remains a major obstacle; Tehran wants to meet its conditions first, and Washington insists on including the nuclear file in the initial talks.
“Unrealistic” demands
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reduced the possibility of reaching an agreement soon, and said: “I will not say that we are on the verge of achieving a breakthrough.”
He added, before heading to Paris to attend the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting: “At the present time, (the talks) have not been very productive, because the Iranian demands are not only unacceptable, but in some cases they are truly disgraceful, ridiculous and unrealistic.”
Trump told CBS that he "is not seeking" to escalate the war. He had told CNN on Sunday that the resumption of attacks on Iran was “extremely unlikely” as long as the negotiations were making progress, while keeping the military option in place.
Trump did not object to his vice president, J.D. Vance, saying that the war was one of the reasons for the Republicans’ loss in the midterm elections, and he acknowledged that voters “did not like the war.” But he defended the decision to attack Iran, and said his answer would be “an emphatic yes” if he had to make the decision again.
Iran on Monday defended a proposal to relaunch talks to end the war within a period not exceeding two days, and considered it the most logical offer on the table, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described some of Tehran’s conditions as “scandalous and ridiculous.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said during a weekly press conference in response to Rubio’s comments, “Is it unreasonable for Iran to demand the lifting of the illegal American sanctions and the naval blockade imposed on it before the negotiations begin, and for the war to end on all fronts?”
Iran made an offer to reduce the period necessary to resume the talks from a previous proposal that stipulates that they begin within seven days, and includes demanding that Washington first fulfill conditions that include stopping hostilities, lifting the blockade, and abolishing sanctions.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman indicated that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency visited the Bushehr nuclear site during the past few days.
In response to a question about South Korea’s plans to deploy naval forces in the region, Baghaei said: “The best help Seoul can provide is not to involve itself in a complicated issue.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman believed that the “strong bilateral relations” between Iran and Iraq should not be affected, no matter how strong the pressure, after the US military announced the formation of a task force to strengthen Washington’s efforts to restrict Tehran’s transfer of advanced weapons systems and other materials subject to sanctions across its land borders and the Caspian Sea.
The US Central Command (Centcom) announced that the task force will be called “Iron Gate,” and will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate its work with other government agencies. In addition to weapons transfers, the task force will also focus on dual-use items and illicit sources of income.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of Central Command, said in a statement: “Enhancing Central Command’s cooperation with partners across US agencies will further limit Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and rebuild its military capabilities.”
China's special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met with Ali Bagheri Kani, Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran, and stressed China's aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations, and that the worsening conflict in the Middle East cannot be resolved by force.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, said on Monday that Tehran welcomes any Chinese role in reducing regional tensions.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said last week, during his meeting in Beijing with Deputy Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council for International Affairs, Ali Bagheri Kani, that all parties to the conflict in the Middle East should focus on political solutions instead of resorting to weapons again.
The Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as telling the Iranian official that dialogue and negotiation are the way to resolve conflicts in the Middle East. Wang added that China supports Iran in protecting its sovereignty and security.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement, Wang said that the war in the Middle East “has been prolonged, extended and expanded,” and that “dialogue and negotiation are the path to the solution.” He called on the parties to exercise “a spirit of responsibility towards peoples and history,” “to meet halfway,” and to focus “rationally and realistically” on the political settlement, “instead of resorting to weapons again.”
He said that China will continue to work with all parties to restore peace in the region, based on the “series of initiatives and proposals” put forward by President Xi Jinping to calm the situation in the Middle East.
