The United States and Iran may soon renew negotiations over a new nuclear deal, CNN reported.
According to the news outlet, Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei’s senior foreign policy advisor, Kamal Kharazi, told CNN that Iran is interested in restarting talks with the US, so long as several preconditions are met.
Among Kharazi’s conditions is that the US “must make the first move” in order to show readiness to engage, and the negotiations must “be based on equal footing and mutual respect.”
“The agenda would be prepared in advance to ensure the clarity of substance and the process of discussions,” he added, stressing that “unfortunately, [US] President [Donald] Trump does not believe in diplomatic engagement but rather prefers to use force to achieve his objectives.”
He also clarified that Iran has not shifted from its positions held prior to the war with Israel, including its right to develop nuclear facilities. “It is only the nuclear issue we will discuss with the United States,” he said, stressing that Iran needs fuel for both power plants and medical purposes.
Earlier this week, at a White House dinner honoring Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump said that Iran is interested in and seeking a deal with the US.
Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed in a confidential report distributed to member states and quoted by Reuters that Iran continues to deny access to nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the United States in June.
According to the report, Iran has not allowed inspectors into any of the seven damaged facilities and has failed to provide a detailed account of its enriched uranium stockpile, despite being obligated to do so under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The IAEA stated that verification of the material is “long overdue.”
The agency estimates that prior to the attacks, Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity – just short of weapons-grade. If further enriched, that quantity could yield material for ten nuclear bombs.
“The Agency’s lack of access to this nuclear material in Iran for five months means that its verification is long overdue,” the report said, according to Reuters. It warned that the loss of “continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s uranium stockpile makes restoring a full picture extremely difficult.
The IAEA has only inspected some of the 13 facilities that were unaffected by the strikes. Iran had informed the agency shortly before the attacks that it was establishing a new enrichment site in Isfahan, but inspectors have not been allowed to visit it. The report notes that the agency does not know the exact location of the plant, its status, or whether it contains nuclear material.
Diplomatic sources believe much of the enriched uranium was stored at a deeply buried site in Isfahan, where entrance tunnels were hit but damage appears limited.