A new report indicates that negotiations between the United States and Iran have hit a significant obstacle, with Washington dismissing Tehran’s counteroffer on uranium enrichment limits following talks held in Islamabad over the weekend.
According to the New York Times, American officials proposed that Iran halt uranium enrichment for a period of 20 years during the discussions. In a formal reply delivered Monday, Iranian representatives said they would be willing to accept a suspension lasting no more than five years, according to two senior Iranian officials and one U.S. official. Trump has rejected that offer, the U.S. official said.
The report adds that the United States is also pressing Iran to transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium out of the country. Iranian officials, however, have refused to agree to that demand, maintaining that the material must remain within their borders. As an alternative, they have proposed significantly reducing its enrichment level to render it unusable for nuclear weapons.
The risk is that the Iranians would still have possession of the fuel and in the future might be able to re-enrich it to bomb grade.
While both sides are considering continuing the dialogue with another face-to-face meeting, officials say that no follow-up session has yet been scheduled.
{Matzav.com}
