USA enters nuclear negotiations with Iran with maximum demands

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran's controversial nuclear program continue. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi are expected to attend the fourth round of talks today in the Omani capital, Muscat. The Gulf state of Oman is mediating between the two countries, which have repeatedly threatened each other, including militarily, in recent years.

The round of nuclear talks, originally scheduled for May 4 in Rome, had previously been postponed for "logistical reasons." Experts, however, blamed differences and initial difficulties in negotiating positions for the postponement.

The new date comes just before US President Donald Trump's Middle East trip. The 78-year-old plans to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday to Thursday.

At the heart of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program is the question of its use: While Tehran emphasizes that it is pursuing exclusively civilian purposes, Western governments fear the development of a nuclear bomb. Iranian politicians and officers have recently fueled the debate with calls for nuclear weapons as a military deterrent. US President Trump recently threatened Iran with massive bombing if there is no deal.

In 2015, after lengthy negotiations with China, Russia, the United States, France, Germany, and Great Britain, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in the Vienna Nuclear Agreement. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and imposed new, tough sanctions . As a result, Tehran also stopped complying with the terms of the agreement. Now the US president wants a new deal.

Witkoff is entering the next round of negotiations with a maximum demand, as he explained in an interview with the right-wing populist online portal Breitbart. A key condition of the US is that Iran completely abandon its enrichment program.

"We believe they must not be allowed to engage in uranium enrichment, possess centrifuges, or have anything that would enable them to build a weapon," the special representative explained. This would mean complete dismantling.

Iran is currently enriching uranium to a purity of 60 percent – ​​experts say over 90 percent is required for nuclear weapons. The Vienna nuclear agreement permitted the country a maximum enrichment level of 3.67 percent and a stockpile of up to 300 kilograms of uranium. Insiders consider it unlikely that Tehran will comply with the US demand and import fuel rods for its civilian nuclear program in the future. The nuclear program has long been considered a symbol of national pride in the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian leadership links the prospect of a new deal to a de-escalation of military tensions in the region, on the one hand, and the lifting of sanctions, on the other. In light of its political and economic isolation in recent years, Tehran has significantly expanded its relations with China and Russia through strategic partnerships. Largely cut off from international payments, the Iranian government continues to derive its main income from oil sales—with China as its most important buyer.