Associated Press: Iran and the US Have Reached Agreements in Nuclear Negotiations

The Associated Press reports, citing diplomats, that Iran and the US have temporarily agreed on a formula for Iran to transfer a significant amount of enriched uranium that could potentially be used in 'nuclear weapons' to Russia. One of the major points of contention between the parties in the nuclear negotiations is the enrichment capacity and the enriched uranium in Iran, which the West claims could be used in the construction of nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran has consistently denied. The Associated Press, on January 1, cited two unnamed diplomats stating that another sign of progress between the parties is that negotiators have, for the first time, documented a list of potential issues of disagreement during the December negotiations. However, the diplomats also indicated that disagreements will still dominate the upcoming negotiations in January. Nevertheless, they noted that even compiling this list of contentious issues was previously difficult due to the significant gap between the parties. They also mentioned that the parties are still discussing the amount of enriched uranium necessary for transfer. The Associated Press report has not yet received an official response, but the ISNA news agency described it as 'baseless' citing an 'informed source.' This 'informed source' stated that 'the issue mentioned in this report (the transfer of uranium outside Iran) has been raised long ago, but we have not reached any agreement on this matter.' This is not the first time a report has been published regarding the transfer of enriched uranium to Russia and an agreement on it. However, in previous instances, this issue was denied. For example, after a New York Times report last fall about 'Iran agreeing to transfer part of its enriched uranium to Russia,' the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied the matter, describing it as 'propaganda.' The next round of negotiations between the parties will take place on January 15 (January 25) at the level of deputy foreign ministers. In addition to the issue of enriched uranium, the number of centrifuges in Iran is also a point of contention between the parties. The Associated Press, citing diplomats, states that the US is demanding to reduce their number by at least half, to 4,500 units, while Iran agrees to only a 20% reduction, bringing them to 8,000 machines. Another issue that Iran insists on is 'the lifting of all sanctions.'