Details are emerging about a potential Iran deal as Trump says he is in no rush
The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up a large stockpile of highly enriched uranium, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday. They said details and timings will be fixed later.
Iran has not publicly committed to giving up its uranium – a key demand of US President Donald Trump – and the sides previously appeared to be close to a deal in recent weeks. Trump on Saturday said the deal was “very much negotiated,” after calls with Israel and other regional allies.
“Negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush to make a deal while we are on our side,” Trump said on social media on Sunday. He said US-Iran relations are becoming “more active and more productive.”
The reopening of the strait will begin to ease the global energy crisis caused by the US and Israel's attack on Iran on February 28, which led to Tehran effectively closing off the vital waterway. Prices have risen for oil, gas and several downstream products, shaking the global economy. Experts say it will take weeks or months for shipments and prices to return to pre-war levels.
The US has blocked Iranian ports for more than a month, and Trump on Sunday said the ban “will remain in full effect until an agreement is reached, ratified, and signed.”
The growing agreement to include Iran in giving up uranium
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his visit to India, said that “great progress, although not the final progress, has been made” in the negotiations, and the world will no longer need to fear Iran getting a nuclear weapon, without elaborating.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told State TV that they were ready to “assure the world that we are not pursuing a nuclear weapon.” Iran's ambassador to India hit back at Rubio on social media, saying Tehran has an “indisputable” right to nuclear technology.
Iran has maintained that its program is peaceful while enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels.
Under the potential deal, Tehran would agree to give up a significant amount of highly enriched uranium, according to two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.
Another official, with direct knowledge of the talks, said how Iran would give up uranium would be subject to further negotiations during the 60-day period. Some can be reduced, while others will be transferred to a third country, said the official. Russia is willing to take it.
Iran has 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, which is a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Trump has sought greater concessions from Iran than those required under the 2015 Obama-era deal the US later withdrew under Trump.
US President Donald Trump has justified the war with Iran by saying that the country is two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon. Nationally, CBC's Eli Glasner debunks those claims and how close Iran was to developing a nuke.
On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told a state-run news agency that there was a “diminishing tension” between the Iranian and US positions, but Iran was on alert after being attacked twice last year during nuclear talks.
Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, a key negotiator, left Tehran late Saturday after further talks with Iranian officials.
The Strait would open again
Under the emerging deal, the Strait of Hormuz will gradually open in line with the US ending its blockade, officials said.
The US will allow Iran to sell its oil through sanctions, said a second official, who was briefed on the talks. The lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian funds will be negotiated within 60 days, the official said.
Both officials said the draft agreement included an end to hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.
Twelve weeks have passed since the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing its supreme leader and other senior officials. The ceasefire with Iran has been in place since April 7, although the sides have fired at each other from time to time.
Several countries, including the European Union and the United Kingdom, have welcomed progress on a potential deal with Iran.
Israel is still concerned about Hezbollah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a social media post on Sunday, said “President Trump and I agreed that any final agreement with Iran must end the nuclear threat,” and that Trump affirmed Israel's right to defend itself “on all sides, including Lebanon.”
Israel's Science Minister Gila Gamliel, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party and part of his national security cabinet, told Israel Army Radio that Israel is taking a “wait-and-see” approach.
Israeli officials are concerned that Hezbollah remains a major threat to Israel and that Lebanon is ill-equipped to disarm it.
A fragile, US-imposed ceasefire went into effect in Lebanon on April 17, but fighting continues, especially in the south. Hezbollah has launched daily drone and rocket attacks on Israeli forces and northern Israel, while Israel has attacked Lebanon while its troops are occupying many areas in the south.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in recent clashes, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. Additionally, 22 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor were killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians were killed in northern Israel, according to Netanyahu's office.
