The Biden administration has spoken with European allies and Israel about a potential interim deal with Iran that would give the Islamic Republic some sanctions relief in exchange for a freeze of some aspects of its civilian nuclear program, Axios reported Monday.
The report cited unnamed Israeli officials and Western diplomats and said the idea would be to get Iran to stop enriching uranium at 60% in exchange for some sanctions relief. The 60% enrichment is the highest level Iran has ever achieved, but it is still below the 90% needed for weapons-grade uranium. The Pentagon acknowledged in its new Nuclear Posture Review that Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon.
Axios previously reported that Israel told the Biden administration that Iran enriching over 60% could trigger an Israeli attack. Israeli pressure and threats are why Iran is enriching at 60%, as Tehran took that step in response to an Israeli covert attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in April 2021. Before that, Iran started 20% enrichment over the Israeli assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020.
Sources told Axios that the Biden administration began discussing the possible freeze-for-freeze approach in January and briefed Britain, France, Germany, and Israel on the idea in February. The report said Iran was aware of the proposal and so far rejected it, but it’s not clear if there’s been any real negotiations or offers yet.
In recent months, the Biden administration has rejected diplomacy with Iran and increased sanctions on the country. US officials have repeatedly said attempting to return to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, was not a priority, and President Biden declared the agreement was “dead” in November. US and Israeli officials have also stepped up their threats against Iran, and tensions in the region are soaring.
Why is it, when you see the US and Israel mentioned in the same space, they are acting in tandem, hand in glove on everything? I think Iran needs encouragement for all its good efforts. And if the US and Israel are members of the same club, there must be room for more, at the table, including for Iran.
Oh Donna…NO one wants to be in THAT evil club! 😉
Not a chance realistically. There is something narcissistic in EU/US/Israel behavior. They think too highly of themselves and their attractiveness. Have not noticed that refugees and economic migrants cone from countrues continuously abused by the collective West. Militarily or through IMF loans and abusive trade arrangements,
They have not noticed that they do not have economic leverage. Both exports and imports are increasingly Asia oriented. Collective West has not much to offer. Sure, some brands and luxury ptoducts. But this is of valurle to small percentage of population. And over time other favorites will emerge.
Narcissistic nations think they are uniquely irreplaceable, And others are just dying to be recognized by Western munificence.
Yes, one has to be afraid of narcissistic nations and they keep a grudge. But they are also aware of weaknesses. Capable of bullying until it becomes clear that emoeror has no clothes.
But, that won’t happen because Israel won’t like it. Remember who’s in the pockets of AIPAC and other Zionist lobbies? I do. So do you. And, remember there’s still no change in the taking out 7 countries, the last being Iran policy as per Gen. Wesley Clark.
I’ve always wondered whether Clark just made that up, or if he heard it from someone who was just making stuff up, or what.
Hint: He says this occurred a few weeks after 9/11. So the five years would have been up in about 2006. And Syria and Lebanon were going to be the second and third after Iraq.
I don’t know why he would make up something like that, and I never heard of anybody saying it’s not true. Here’s so many links re. that statement. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=wesley+clark+7+countries+in+5+years.+&ia=web
Agendas, especially in Wash. never go as planned. All but Lebanon and Iran have been taken out, i.e. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran. Note: Lebanon is pretty oil poor. Here’s a link re. their oil and gas. https://resourcegovernance.org/analysis-tools/publications/oil-and-gas-lebanon-time-rethink-expectations
Lebanon might be oil poor but Israel has long coveted Lebanon’s Litani river – that might have something to do with it.
Israel covets a lot more than that……………
Thanks for that–I didn’t know about the river issue.
Us getting bogged down in a quagmire had some to do with it
Iran has already rubbished this idiotically sophomoric attempt at hegemony. At some point they’re going to just yawn at your sanctions because the world’s economies have de-dollarized to reduce their dollar facing risk. That’s what happens when you weaponize literally everything you can get your hands on, especially your economy.
This is how gangsters behave. This is Tammany Hall with Nukes.
But whatever, it’s not like me saying anything here makes a damn bit of difference.
Your help make sense of the world for me.
Thank for making me chuckle out loud…
Off topic and humbling https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230403.html
Spectacular!
A discussion is not an approved policy.
meanwhile the Iranians still only pay 20 cents US for a gallon of gasoline
“The report cited unnamed Israeli officials and Western diplomats and said the idea would be to get Iran to stop enriching uranium at 60% in exchange for some sanctions relief.”
You mean like when they were in compliance and nobody else was? And the fact “Israel officials” are involved is ridiculous. They are the f*cking problem.
Iran to ByeDone: You f*cked us once, so take your “deal” and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
We’ve got Russia and China on our side, remember? 😁🇷🇺🇨🇳🇮🇷
So true……………………………………………………………….!
But Biden is so trustyworthy — just ask the Chinese. Ah, isn’t it wonderful to see peace-seeking diplomacy in action?
Why should Iran agree to any deal for “some sanction relief”? ICJ just ruled in favor of Iran, that is “some relief”. Iran is looking for total cancelation of all sanctions, and it seems that is not in the cards.
It is often repeated that 60% enrichment has no peaceful purpose. That is not true. It might be convenient to pretend, but it is not true.
For example, the US and UK navies enrich submarine and carrier reactor fuel to 93.5%, which is full weapons grade.
In general, small reactors (like ships) tend to use higher enrichment.
Current trends in nuclear power generation of electricity are toward smaller reactors, instead of the huge reactors of vast cost used in the past.
60% might very well suit a moderate sized civilian reactor for peaceful purposes.
Perhaps that is not the best path to take, on balance, but it is just false to say it has no peaceful civilian purpose.
Furthermore, as a nation with both hydrocarbons and uranium ore, Iran is fully justified in diversifying its use of all of its resources, and even bringing all of them to the civilian market.
It’s not a Deal….! It’s a Scam…!
The sanctions against Iran has nothing to do with the interest of United States and everything to do with the interest of Israel. It was the Israeli Zionist neocon lobby that persuaded/ordered Trump to withdraw from a perfectly good treaty / agreement between Iran and USA signed and negotiated by Obama. If we want to be honest, stop stating that US sanctioned Iran – and let’s give credit to those that fu*k it up.
Is Israel a reason the US messes with Iran? Yes.
Is Israel the only reason the US messes with Iran? No.
Among others, two come immediately to mind:
1) Simple vengeance for the the Iranians haven overthrown the Shah’s US puppet regime in 1979; and
2) Keeping, so much as possible, Iranian oil off of world markets to prop up oil prices and make US oil production profitable.
Of course, those are bad reasons. They sort of make a sarcastic point in the other direction.
Another reason which I think has stronger vengeance than your first reason is the 1979 invasion of US embassy in Tehran and the subsequent hostage taking….! Nobody talks about it much but the anger is definitely there at the present time…! For obvious reasons, since it has Not happened to US before and probably will never happen again…!
The embassy takeover (by student revolutionists who were stopped by regime forces the first time but not the second) is indeed a focal point for US anger, but that’s more of a PR gem than a real reason.
Trump was promising belligerence towards Iran during his campaign. He claimed Obama treated Israel poorly and he would be the bestest friend Israel ever had. There was no need for arm twisting.
None of this makes sense, Now that Iran has 20 year dral with Russia, 25 year deal with China, restored relationshio with Saudi Arabia and foundation was created for solving problems festering in Syria, Iraq. Lebanon and Yemen, what are USvand EU cintributing?
Israel is daily bombing real or imaginary Iranians in Syria. US has assasinated Iranian general on a diolomatic mission to Iraq.
What is the offer? More abusive language, more threats and for what? Any prospects for a friendly relationship?
Any long term commercial, cultural ties?
None of it makes sense. There is nothing, absolutely nothing that Iran needs and only West can supply that,
What is shaping is extraoordinary. China snd Russia have ling term agreements that call for major projects in Iran. Iran needs money, But Iran has oil and gas, Abnew production/ supply chain in energy and derivatives field is forming, Look at India becoming refiner of Russian products, selling them globslly, A new supply chain, leaving Europeam refineries without work, One can easily see similar dynamics. Iran’s oil can flow to Saudi Arabia, money made from oil will finance Chinese and Russian projects. Saudi businesses will also rush in to invest.m, as Iran will be able to pay. Energy is fungible. and more so when sold as refined products.
Biden is a disgrace to the race. The creature is completely without shame.
I did not like him before the election, and as time goes by, I like him less and less. He proves every worst fear about him.
This all sounds like Biden realized he has made a big mistake not going back into JCPOA the day he became president, and cancelling Trump’s withdrawal which was on order of Netanyahu. If his regret is true, he should fire Blinken, Yellen, and Garland who are all devotees of Netanyahu, and advised Biden what Netanyahu ordered them to say and do. Then, remove all sanctions on Iran, in return get verifiable commitment from Iran not to enrich beyond 60%. This is not 2015, Iran has spent billions on the nuclear medical technologies that use 20% (they have been buying 20% fuel from Argentina for their medical research reactor for decades, but can’t do it after US sanctions.) They have also spent billion on naval nuclear propulsion technology that use 60%. They will use those in military and cargo ships. They have told Biden’s administration through Europeans, there is no way for them to go backwards. If the threat is military action against them, they will not hesitate to develop nuclear deterrence, shortly after 1 bomb falls on one of their nuclear sites. Biden should ask neocons who have taken over his administration’s foreign policy, what to do next.
Under the NPT, Iran was permitted to enrich to the point to use for peaceful enterprises, like power plants. So, a freeze shuts down the ability to do just that. Meanwhile, Israel is a non-signatory to the treaty, can do what it wishes. Same for the U.S., which has used nukes on another country.