US close to sealing nuclear deal with Iran?
A nuclear deal with Iran “is closer now than it was two weeks ago,” US State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Monday, “but the outcome of these ongoing discussions still remains uncertain as gaps do remain.”
The US “will only sign off on a deal that meets our core national security interests,” he underscored.
The European Union presented a final text for an agreement to Iran, which added comments, and now the parties are waiting for the US response.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, said Monday that Iran’s final proposal for a nuclear deal was “reasonable.”
The proposal was “transmitted to the United States, which has not yet responded formally. I hope the response will put an end to the negotiations,” he said.
However, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog may present a problem.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told CNN on Monday called on Iran to explain why traces of enriched uranium were found at previously undeclared nuclear research sites.
“Give us the necessary answers, people and places so we can clarify the many things needed for clarification,” he said.
When asked if the IAEA will end its probe without receiving answers, a key demand reportedly put forward by Iran, he responded negatively.
“Absolutely not. We want to be able to clarify these things. So far, Iran has not given us the technically credible explanations we need to explain the origin of many traces of uranium, the presence of equipment at places,” he said.
“This idea that politically we are going to stop doing our job is unacceptable for us,” Grossi said.
Israeli National Security Advisor Dr Eyal Hulata is in Washington for a meeting on the issue. He was supposed to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but the meeting was cancelled.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke on Monday with President of France Emmanuel Macron about the nuclear deal, and Lapid reiterated Israel’s opposition to a return to the agreement as well as “the need for a clear and unequivocal message that there will be no additional concessions to the Iranians.”
Lapid warned that in the last offer, there are new elements that go beyond the limits of the original 2015 nuclear deal, and that it “will pave the way for significant investment to flow into Iran’s terrorist network and to strengthen the Iranian military”.
Israeli officials have said that the nuclear agreement that is taking shape is a bad one, and Israel does not see itself committed to it and will continue to work for its security and curbing Iran’s nuclear efforts.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Kan 11 news on Monday that the nuclear agreement “is a bad agreement that allows Iran to strengthen its military strength and support the countries of the region – we are against it and are preparing for actions from our side.”
Israeli analyst Yoni Ben Menachem of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs (JCPA), quoted sources in Israel who estimate that the nuclear agreement will be signed next month. Israel will express strong opposition to the signing but will not enter into a frontal confrontation with the Biden administration.
“This is a security catastrophe for Israel,” he warned.
