The US told Iran not to link the revival of the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, with an inquiry into uranium traces at undeclared Iranian nuclear sites, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing a US official.
The US and Iran have been engaged in EU-mediated JCPOA negotiations, and Tehran is currently reviewing Washington’s response to a proposal on reviving the deal. According to the Axios report, under the draft deal, the JCPOA will be restored through stages.
One stage will be after 120 days after the US and Iran sign the deal, known as “reimplementation day.” By that time Iran is supposed to have brought its nuclear program back into the strict limits set by the JCPOA. In return, the US would lift some sanctions and brief US companies on doing business with Iran.
The Axios report said that Iran wants the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) investigation into uranium traces at undeclared nuclear sites to be closed. The IAEA opened the inquiry years ago and hasn’t been satisfied with Iran’s explanations, although there’s no indication there is any proliferation risk because of the issue.
The US official said that linking the IAEA inquiry to the JCPOA could delay sanctions relief for Tehran and that the US conveyed this through the EU. “We told the Iranians that it is up to them to solve it with the IAEA and there is no reason to link it to reimplementation day. If Iran does that, it risks delaying the lifting of sanctions,” the official said.
Last week, a different US official told Reuters that Iran dropped its demand related to the uranium traces, but Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said this week that without settling the issue, “talking about an agreement would be meaningless.”
The Axios report said that Iran and the IAEA could work out the issue during the 120-day period between signing the deal and reimplementation day, signaling that signing an agreement does not hinge on the IAEA dropping the inquiry. The US official said that Washington hopes the sanctions relief will be enough incentive for Iran to reduce its nuclear activity by reimplementation day even if the issue is not solved.
Iran is also seeking guarantees if the US withdraws from the JCPOA again. “Iran is carefully reviewing the EU-drafted text … We need stronger guarantees from the other party to have a sustainable deal,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday.
Because the JCPOA is not a treaty, a future administration is not bound by the deal. With that in mind, Iran is reportedly seeking guarantees that would create immediate consequences for the US if it pulls out of the deal or sanctions exemptions for a certain time period after the US withdraws.
During earlier negotiations in 2021, when the two sides were close to a deal, Iran wanted President Biden to give a guarantee that the US would stay in the agreement just for his term in office, but he refused, and the talks stalled.
wow did they find traces of uranium at iran’s nuclear facility ?
This looks like a trap that Iran may fall into… Linking or Not Linking, US Will definitely NOT perform Full 100% sanctions relief they promise to please Israel…The repeat of the same story during Obama era…! And it is only rejoining JCPOA under the handicapped EU pressure…!
If they are completely separate issues then Iran should tell the IAEA to pound sand.
Continue to beat on Iran with Israel’s favorite nuclear stick? Odd how Iran does not agree to be beaten forever in that way.
Anyway, I no longer believe the IAEA investigation. It has been too thoroughly twisted to political purposes by Israel and the US, and can no longer be trusted to be anything but whatever they want.
Spectacular analysis!
After a little history lesson, I think the Iranians wouldn’t trust Wash. with anything they say or do. This is all about kowtowing to AIPAC for the sole purpose of forcing Americans to do Israel’s dirty work for the expansion of Israeli territory back to King David’s time, which is what Zionism is all about. Read the Talmud and what it says for a clue.
“Iran is reportedly seeking guarantees” In other words, the “done deal” is still lacking US agreement on one of the two primary requirements, not to mention lifting “some sanctions” which is not what Iran wants. They want all sanctions lifted.
So in other words, there is no deal – just like the last year and a half and before that since 2018. Yet we continue to get this lying BS every single day from the media, whitewashing this fraud.
Does anyone have information as to what, exactly, the IAEA says they found at these “undeclared nuclear sites”, and where?
In June 2021, according to Al Jazeera, “Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, warned the nuclear watchdog’s criticism could endanger future relations with Iran. ‘The agency’s report is not credible because it’s not based on reliable sources. It’s also not convincing, because it doesn’t reflect all the dimensions of cooperation and yielded progress,’ he said.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/7/iaea-urges-iran-to-provide-information-on-uranium-traces-at-sites
Does that mean the IAEA didn’t actually find uranium at these sites?