The New York Times reported today that the Obama administration and its European allies plan to demand the immediate closing of Fordo uranium enrichment facility at their upcoming talks with Iran. Fordo’s construction was recently completed under a mountain near the city of Qom. The facility is set up to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity. The US and the EU will be also calling for a halt in the production of uranium fuel at that level of purity.
In the past two years, the two sides had explored the idea of a nuclear fuel swap whereby Iran would swap some of its 5 percent-enriched uranium for 20-percent fuel needed for its research reactor in Tehran. The deal ultimately failed after the conservatives in Iran refused to go along with it. The new US and EU proposal, as reported by the Times, could be a variation of the fuel swap proposal, guaranteeing Iran the supply of 20-percent fuel needed for research but forcing it to close its new fuel production facility at Fordo.
As tough as the new demands might appear, they actually represent a softening of the current UN resolutions demanding Iran to give up its enrichment program altogether and is indeed a recognition of Iran’s right to establish its own civilan nuclear program.
President Obama has characterized the upcoming talks as Iran’s “last chance” to resolve the nuclear impasse diplomatically. The US and EU are believed to think that the tightening financial sanctions against Iran and the EU oil embargo that would go into full effect on 1 July might force the Iranians to make a politically painful compromise and accept their proposal.
“We have no idea how the Iranians will react,” a senior administration official told the Times. “We probably won’t know after the first meeting.” But the next round of oil sanctions, he noted, kicks in early this summer [The New York Times, 8 April].
15 comments:
It's hard to imagine that the Iranian regime will close Fordo. And I doubt that Iran will give up their right to 20% enrichment. These talks (if they will even be held) will result to nothing.
This makes a gathering, useless and a waste of time.
Its as if Iran would demand "force Israel into the IAEA and inspect it"
Doomed to fail again, because the idiots of West, again listened to pro western anti Iranian ex-Iranians and over estimated their sanctions and its effects.
You cut out one of my comments on the pirates, so I herewith would like to announce, should this be done again I shant be commenting or reading your blog again.
Dariush London
FAT.......CHANCE.
Why do they even bother with these talks at all?
no 1 iota backward
Why don't they ever say what they will give in return?
I can not believe this level of stupidity. They want it to fail. Iran really should stop wasting time. Like last time in Turkey where they reached an agreement and Israeli lobbys threatend the US to quite on it. This time its the same.
Israel is going to set the region ablaze.These criminal terrorist Israelis. Its all their doing.
Unless you hear the demand to close Fordo coming directly from the Obama Administration, I would take what the media says, with a grain of salt. As we all know, the media does not always have the correct information to pass on.
Z
@ Anon 11:06
because it's not about making life any easier for the Iranian leadership nor the people of Iran. The Mafia want to take and take and take til' there's nothing left to take, and then go in for the kill.
Anon 12:13 got it right, quote: "they want it to fail"! that way sanctions can be kept in place until new ideas can be concocted on how replace the regime inside Iran.
Starting off by saying Iran must close Fordo is not the answer. There must be carrots and stocks. What will the West give in return for the closing of Fordo?
-----And I doubt that Iran will give up their right to 20% enrichment. -----
if Iran isn't willing to give up enrichment to ~20% after having stockpiled more of the stuff than they could use for any civilian purpose, then you can be pretty sure that there isn't anything to talk about because then it's clear that Iran is set on weapons.
-----Unless you hear the demand to close Fordo coming directly from the Obama Administration, I would take what the media says, with a grain of salt. As we all know, the media does not always have the correct information to pass on.----
that's only the free press.
in Iran, PRESS-TV always passing on the correct information, even if just about every word of it is completely fabricated and far from truth.
they still correctly report what they're instructed to report.
Dariush since your so anti western and pro Iran why don't you leave London England and come and live with us in the heaven that is called the Islamic republic and enjoy the fruits of its democracy and liberal freedoms.
Come on Dariush,practice what you preach and show us "ex Iranian anti Iranians"about how to be a hypocrite like you.
Be marg begir be tab razi bashan.
So predictable !
Dariush London
No iranian likes to stop enrichment is ofcourse national pride.All ppl united regardless pro or anti govt.GO IRAN GO..
People don't give a damn about the enrichment program.That program has caused Iran to be isolated from the world community.We haven't a single nuclear reactor built that needs domestic enrichment.The one the Russians built uses Russian fuel.The enrichment program is for making bombs because of the ballistic missiles that Iran is producing.
Khamenei is a liar and a cheat because no way in the Quran it mentions nuclear bombs for him to announce a fatwa against it.
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