LOS ANGELES.–Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks with the U.S. aimed at containing its nuclear enrichment program have been postponed indefinitely, raising the prospects of potential military confrontation. President Donald Trump, 78, sent his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to Rome to meet with Araghchi to find a way to deal with Iran’s growing stockpile of enriched uranium, prompting fears in some circles that Iran wants to complete work on a nuclear bomb. Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doesn’t want military confrontation but knows he can’t ignore growing concerns about its nuclear enrichment program. Special White House envoy Steve Witkoff suggested a program that would have Iran sell the United States nuclear fuel rods to run the next generation of carbon free nuclear reactors, considered the most likely way to generate future electric power.
Araghchi said Iran was not interested in nuclear weapons but has spent years developing its uranium enrichment programs, now generating enriched uranium to 60%, well about the 3.67% allowed under the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]. Trump cancelled former President Barack Obama’s JCPOA, saying that the Ayatollah armed its Yemen proxy Houthi rebels to go to war against Saudi Arabia. Trump cancelled the JCPOA because Iran was using billions in cash for malign activities against Saudi and Israel. U.S. nuclear weapons inspectors estimate that Iran now has 8,000 kilos of 60% enriched uranium. Araghchi said that his country had no intent to end its uranium enrichment program but was open to other proposals like selling enriched uranium to the U.S. Araghchi informed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that it would not stop its enrichment program.
U.S. officials were ready to go to Rome for a fourth round of nuclear talks but were postponed by Iran until further notice. Witkoff has made some good suggestions what Iran could do with its enriched uranium, including sell it to the U.S. for its next generation of carbon free nuclear reactors. In previous three rounds of talks, U.S. officials thought they were making progress on a deal which would direct Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium to be sold to the U.S. for nuclear reactor fuel. Ayatollah Khamenei wants no part of any military action from the U.S., knowing he can no longer count on his proxies that have been decimated by Israel in the last year. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has the perfect solution for Ayatollah to sell his enriched uranium stockpile to the U.S. or the Russian Federation. Araghchi did not rule out that future talks were not in the cards.
Iran has a viable uranium enrichment industry that could be used by the U.S. to run the next generation of nuclear reactors. Citing logistical reasons, Araghchi did not say that he was not open to more talks with the U.S. or an intermediary like Qatar. Trump knows that whatever happened before to cancel the JCPOA in 2018, there’s a new opportunity to limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment and to curtail Iran’s ballistic missile development. Iran has said in the past that uranium enrichment and ballistic missile development were not on the table. Ayatollah’s new openness to more talks indicates that he knows Trump is not the kind of leader to mess around. Whatever happened under former presidents Barack Obama or Joe Biden, things could look very differently under Trump. Ayatollah does not have the same bravado with his proxies neutralized to not deal with U.S. talks.
As long as Iran continues to stockpile 60% enriched uranium, Iran’s skeptics question its need for more nuclear fuel or medical isotopes. Most western officials fear that Iran could develop a nuclear bomb at any time, though the Ayatollah and Arghchi deny any such intentions. Given Iran’s 8,000 kilo inventory of 60% enriched uranium, wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for Iran to cut a deal with Trump to buy nuclear fuel rods to run the next generation of carbon free nuclear reactors? Iran knows the world is watching what it does with nuclear talks with Trump. Informing U.N. Secretary-General Anotion Guterres that the latest round of talks with the U.S. were suspended in Rome can’t make him happy. Nothing would relieve the world more than Iran working out an acceptable deal with the U.S. what to do with its 8,000 kilo stockpile of 60% uranium.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has proved to be a skillful negotiator, well liked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and everyone else in his presence. Foreign Minister Araghchi would be well-advised to get back to the table and work out a deal. Iran has an efficient uranium enrichment industry that could net Iran a lot of cash with growing demand in the U.S. and European Union for nuclear fuel rods to fuel the next generation of nuclear reactors providing electric power for the future. Ayatollah Khamenei knows the situation in Iran internally and doesn’t need a new foreign war especially with the U.S. and Israel. If Iran wants to keep its nuclear enrichment industry, Araghchi needs to sit down with Witkoff and work out a mutually beneficial deal to sell enriched uranium to the U.S. and EU. Ayatollah sees the price of war in Ukraine and wants no part of it.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
