Iran: We are considering whether to participate in the next round of talks / Enrichment is a red line

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Tehran: A senior Iranian official told American media that Iranian negotiators are reconsidering whether to participate in the upcoming meeting with Washington after Trump's special envoy said that zero enrichment would be a "red line" in the talks.

 

According to ISNA, Iranian officials, although seeking a new agreement with the United States on its nuclear program, have warned in recent days that indirect talks with Washington may be jeopardized by the insistence of the administration of US President Donald Trump on a halt to enrichment in Iran.

 

Meanwhile, Iranian President Aliyev stressed in Tehran that Iran will not give up its "right to use peaceful nuclear technology," even despite threats and sanctions. As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran insists on its right to enrich uranium for medical and energy purposes.

 

Steve Whittaker, the US's top negotiator, has changed his tune, now calling a "complete ban on any enrichment" a "very, very clear red line" and believing that even "one percent of enrichment capacity" is not allowed. This is while Wendy Sherman, a former US negotiator in the Obama administration, believes that convincing Iran to stop enrichment is "impossible" and could lead to a stalemate and the possibility of war.

 

Despite four rounds of indirect talks, differences over enrichment and the lifting of sanctions (the US wants gradual lifting and Iran wants immediate lifting) remain, raising concerns about the future of these talks.