Nuclear dispute: USA and Iran: Atomic negotiations go in a decisive phase

In the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program, negotiations between Washington and Tehran go into a decisive phase. Today in Rome, the US specialist Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi are expected to be the fifth round of negotiations. The Golf state of Oman conveys between the two countries. According to Iranian media reports, negotiations against noon begin.

Both sides had been optimistic at the beginning of the conversations. After the recent meeting in the Omani capital Maskat, however, significant differences came to light.

The spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Washington, Tammy Bruce, said the fifth meeting of the negotiators only takes place because the United States thought an agreement was possible. “We believe that we will be successful.” The Iranians understand the US demands and continue to take part in the negotiations, she said.

The United States is calling for the Iranian government to fully stop uranium enrichment – from Washington’s point of view, a necessary measure to permanently prevent the development of Iranian nuclear weapons. Tehran rejects this claim, but is ready to restrict the nuclear program again and to grant stricter controls.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghtschi wrote on the platform X: “Finding the way to a deal is not a rocket science. Null nuclear weapons = We have a deal. Now it is time to choose.

Trump rose from the Vienna nuclear pact in 2018

At the center of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program is the question of use: While Tehran emphasizes that only civilian purposes are pursuing, governments in the West fear the construction of an atomic bomb. US President Trump last threatened Iran with military violence if there was no deal.

In 2015, Iran had already agreed to restrict its nuclear program in the Vienna nuclear Agreement after long negotiations with China, Russia, the USA, France, Germany and Great Britain. However, Trump unilaterally got out of the pact in 2018 and imposed new, hard sanctions.

Iran uranium currently enhances up to a purity level of 60 percent – according to experts, over 90 percent are required for nuclear weapons. In the Vienna Atomic Agreement, the country was allowed to enrich the country of 3.67 percent and a supply of up to 300 kilograms of uranium – usable for nuclear power plants for electricity generation.

Experts: Danger of misjudgments

The maximum position of the USA is viewed critically by experts. The idea of ​​completely preventing Iran’s uranium enrichment is an unsuitable approach to “blocking realistic diplomacy and the risk of paving the way to a military confrontation,” wrote expert Nicole Grajewski from the Carnegie thinking on the X.

According to Grajewski, stronger surveillance and stricter limit values ​​of the Iranian nuclear program are required. “But sometimes it seems that the zero enrichment is placed in the room by those who want the conversations to fail,” she said.

Iran expert Hamidreza Azizi also sees the risk of military escalation. “Serious challenges are imminent – both in Germany, the USA and Iran, as well as external – and the risk of misjudgments remains high,” he wrote in a contribution to the European Leadership Network.

Political scientist Karim Sadjadpour explained in the podcast with the Council on Foreign Relations, an American thought factory, that in both capitals there was to achieve “any form of agreement”.

Reports: Israel prepares possible attack on nuclear systems

Meanwhile, Israel reports a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The United States has received new information that Israel has taken appropriate steps, the US broadcaster CNN reported to several civil servants. However, it is unclear whether the Israeli government had already made a final decision. The news site “Axios” also reported appropriate preparations in the event that negotiations between Iran and the USA fail.

Araghtschi reacted with a letter to the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and warned of the consequences of a possible Israeli attack. Iran will not hesitate to “react decided to respond to every cross,” the minister wrote to X. If an attack occurs, the United States would also have responsibility, said Araghtschi, according to the Tasnim news agency.

US President Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke on the new negotiations on Thursday, but did not know any details.

Iran hopes for an economic upswing if there is an agreement

The Iranian leadership links the prospect of a new deal on the one hand with a defusing of military tensions in the region, and on the other hand with the abolition of sanctions. In view of the political and economic isolation in recent years, Tehran has significantly expanded his relationships with China and Russia through strategic partnerships.