Report: Iran Would Shut Enrichment Plant for End to Sanctions

Israel Expected to Oppose Deal as 'Ploy'

According to German newspaper Der Spiegel, Iranian President Hassan Rohani is prepared to offer a deal wherein he would shutter the Fordow uranium enrichment facility in return for the international community ending sanctions against them.

Fordow, the second Iranian enrichment site after Natanz, is considered more irksome to the international community because it is underground and difficult to bomb.

Israeli officials are expected to vigorously oppose any such deal, primarily on the grounds that it would get in the way of their oft-threatened plans to attack Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dubbed past deals “ploys” aimed at preventing the planned war.

The closure of Fordow might be easy for Iran to pull off right now, as they are said to be winding down production of 20% enriched uranium, having created enough fuel rods to run their medical isotope reactor for the foreseeable future.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.