According to reports, Tehran is willing to guarantee its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes if sanctions are lifted.
Iran is prepared to offer assurances that it will not develop nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions, according to the Tehran Times, quoting a top Iranian diplomat. Seyed Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian delegation in indirect talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Muscat, Oman, on Saturday.
The meeting marked the first diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran in years, focusing on Iran’s nuclear program and the possibility of easing US sanctions.
According to the news source, Araghchi stated that Iran desires a “win-win agreement” and “would not, under any circumstances, agree to dismantle its nuclear program.”
However, he stated that the country is “willing to take steps to provide assurances against the militarization of its nuclear activities,” including granting the International Atomic Energy Agency access to its nuclear facilities.
In return, Tehran is seeking the removal of US sanctions on various sectors without the risk of their reinstatement “under other pretexts,” the Tehran Times reports.
The publication reports that Witkoff acknowledged the need for US concessions. Reportedly, the envoy did not mention the potential dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program during the talks, nor did he refer to the original agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018.
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Witkoff stopped short of calling for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program, despite demands from other US officials, including White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
“The conversation with the Iranians will be much about two critical points,” Witkoff said. The first is the verification of uranium enrichment, “and ultimately verification on weaponization, that includes missiles, type of missiles that they have stockpiled there, and it includes the trigger for a bomb.”
However, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has insisted that Iran’s military capabilities are non-negotiable.
“National security and defense, and military power are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances,” IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said on Tuesday, according to various media outlets.
The next round of discussions between Iran and the US is scheduled for April 19.
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