The Moscow negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran began today much as the past few rounds, with a flurry of demands from NATO member nations for Iran to give up large portions of their nuclear program while offering nothing in return.
But unlike the past rounds, Iran is said to have offered a “detailed” response on the matter, emphasizing that any pledge to stop enriching uranium to 20 percent was predicated on an international guarantee for access to fuel rods (which require uranium at that level) for the US-built Tehran Research Reactor (TRR), which produces medical isotopes.
Officials said that the talks didn’t rise to the level of “detailed negotiations,” but that they were unusually frank and that Iran was insistent on its basic rights to a civilian nuclear power as a member of the nuclear NPT.
They also added that there was no “breakthrough” in the talks so far. The last round of talks, in Baghdad, ended with no deal beyond the agreement to meet in Moscow, and this round too might simply see both sides punt on a future round of talks, giving officials a chance to rail against Iran for another month.
