Hard Iran-US nuclear talks
THE ongoing indirect nuclear talks between America and Iran are inching forward with the two sides agreeing to meet for the next round this week. Both countries described the meeting in Oman as “constructive”.
It was the first high-level engagement between Washington and Tehran since 2018 when Donald Trump, during his first presidency, had pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear agreement, promising to negotiate a “better deal”.
Last weekend’s meeting, which lasted for over two hours, took place with the two delegations sitting in separate rooms relaying messages through Oman’s foreign minister. While the Iranian delegation is headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi America is being represented by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff. The two also spoke very briefly after the meeting. The very fact that the two sides have agreed to meet again is seen as encouraging.
But there’s still a long way to go and hurdles to cross before a deal is possible. President Trump’s announcement of “direct talks” with Iran came during a joint presser at the White House with the visiting Israeli prime minister who has been urging the US to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability through military action. Trump’s offer to talk was mixed with the threat of force. He has repeatedly warned of military strikes.
While willing to talk, Tehran rejected any engagement under coercion. Iran has linked direct talks to the easing of sanctions. Both parties then settled for indirect talks that has helped break some ice and paved the way for the next engagement.
A major reason why the Oman meeting ended on a positive note was that Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff refrained from repeating the president’s threats that Iran would face “great danger” if the talks weren’t successful. “In my opinion, as the first meeting, it was a constructive meeting held in a very peaceful and respectful environment, because no inappropriate language was used,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
While willing to talk, Tehran rejected any engagement under coercion.
No doubt, this is a promising start to extremely complicated negotiations, which demand patience. Both sides have displayed pragmatism by keeping the door open for further engagement. But the onus lies on the Trump administration to lift some of the sanctions on Iran in order to move to direct talks that Witkoff describes as key to concluding a possible deal.
However, there is no sign yet that Trump would agree to suspend sanctions. Tehran has also made it very clear that it would not accept any restrictions on its peaceful nuclear and missile programmes that Trump has been insisting on. Trump had struck down the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, claiming it had not curtailed Iran’s missile programme and regional influence. More recently, he threatened Iran with “bombing the likes of which they’ve never seen before”.
Formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement was signed in July 2015. It was a landmark accord reached by Iran and six world powers (P5+1). Besides the US, these countries included Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
The JCPOA came into effect in January 2016. As per the deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear programme and to allow extensive international inspections of its facilities. This was in exchange for billions worth in sanctions relief, although the US administration maintained curbs on financial transactions, which have deterred global trade with Iran.
One of the reasons that pushed the Obama administration to striking the deal was the fear that Iran had come very close to assembling a nuclear bomb. The agreement prevented this from happening. Iranian leaders, however, insist that they never had any intention of going nuclear.
While the 2015 agreement was largely welcomed by the international community, it came under attack from Israel and Saudi Arabia. Those opposed to it said it showed too much leniency to Iran and asserted that while it could delay things, it would not prevent Tehran from making a bomb in the future. Israel wanted the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Not surprisingly, Trump’s decision in 2018 to exit the Iran nuclear deal was welcomed by Israel. The withdrawal rendered the JCPOA ineffective, leaving no option for Tehran but to reactivate its uranium enrichment programme.
In early 2023, UN inspectors reported that Iran had enriched trace amounts of uranium to nearly weapons-grade levels, leading to international concern. In a report in February this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had enriched 274.8 kilograms to up to 60 per cent — with 90pc needed to develop nuclear weapons.
President Joe Biden linked Washington’s return to the JCPOA to Iran’s “strict compliance” with the deal. But the talks between Iran and America could not reach any conclusion, with Biden imposing fresh sanctions on Iran.
Over the years, Israel has repeatedly targeted Iran’s nuclear programme but has failed to dismantle it.
The worsening security situation in the Middle East with Israel’s prolonged genocidal war in Gaza and non-stop military strikes in Lebanon and Syria has compelled Iran to strengthen its defences. It is an extremely combustible situation and any American or Israel military action against Iran can trigger a wider conflagration.
Since returning to power, President Trump has been threatening Iran with military action but has also kept the door open for talks. Some back-channel contacts seem to have worked, with the two countries at least agreeing to indirect talks. According to some analysts, Trump’s real bottom line is that Iran must completely dismantle its nuclear programme as well as abandon its missile programme.
Iran has said this time it has come to the table with an open mind but has also made it clear that such US demands would leave it defenceless. Tehran wants to limit the talks to the nuclear issue. It’s certainly a good start, but one is not sure whether it will end up in an agreement, given Trump’s ever-changing stance.
The writer is an author and journalist.
X: @hidhussain
Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2025