Amid renewed nuclear talks between the US and Iran, a senior American diplomat stated on Saturday that during discussions held in Rome, Washington maintained its ultimate demand that Iran cease all uranium enrichment activities on its territory.
While this issue remains a core point of contention, other subjects were also discussed. According to the official, a proposal for an initial agreement was floated, in which Iran would demonstrate its readiness to permanently abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons. As part of this framework, the US administration is reportedly considering the possibility of postponing certain sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently addressed the matter, saying: "Zero nuclear weapons equals a deal. Zero enrichment equals no deal. It's time to decide." His comments, made ahead of his trip to Rome, reiterated Iran's red line. Prior to that, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had dismissed calls to end uranium enrichment as "excessive and outrageous," warning that such negotiations were unlikely to yield results.
The American diplomat's remarks came in the wake of comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told the Senate earlier that while the US was open to allowing Iran to pursue a civilian nuclear program, it would not permit uranium enrichment due to concerns that it could enable Tehran to eventually develop nuclear weapons. Rubio acknowledged that achieving such an agreement "won't be easy."
