Axios: Iran Proposed Negotiations for a New Nuclear Agreement to Trump

The Axios news website reports that Iran proposed negotiations for a new nuclear agreement involving the U.S. government during its diplomats' meeting with European representatives just before Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. Axios wrote on Thursday, January 24, citing 'European diplomats,' that Iranian representatives brought up the idea of discussing a new agreement separate from the JCPOA with European negotiators. According to the website, Tehran's representatives insisted that Europeans present this proposal to the Trump administration and convey Washington's response back to Tehran. Iranian officials have not yet reacted to this report. Axios refers to the meeting between Iranian representatives and European powers in Geneva to discuss Tehran's nuclear program, which took place just a week before Donald Trump, the new U.S. President, returned to the White House. This meeting, held on January 24, included Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, and his counterparts from France, the UK, and Germany, and was conducted confidentially with few details released. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs, who attended the meeting, was the only one to write on X that they discussed 'ideas in two areas of sanctions relief and nuclear issues that are essential for reaching an agreement' and that 'there was a consensus that negotiations should resume to reach an agreement.' A senior EU official told reporters in Brussels on Friday that all signs, including Trump's statements, indicate that the U.S. government, under Trump, wants to engage in some form of dialogue with the Iranians regarding the nuclear program and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached. This official, who requested anonymity, added: 'Alongside the EU, the EU's foreign policy chief has an institutional role in the UN Security Council that endorsed the JCPOA. Therefore, he is the coordinator of the JCPOA joint commission. Over the past four years, we have also taken on the additional responsibility of facilitating negotiations between the United States and Iran.' The EU official further stated: 'We need to see how Tehran will respond and whether it wants to engage directly with the Americans or not.' This senior EU official assessed the EU's presence in this process as important and told reporters: 'The EU will be present in this process for two main reasons; first, we are very interested in the peaceful and civilian use of Iran's nuclear program, and second, there are sanctions that have been imposed by the EU, not by member states. Therefore, there is a need for action from the EU in this regard.' In the less than a week since Trump's inauguration, he has spoken several times about Iran but has not yet referred to the 'proposal' reported by Axios. On Thursday evening, while signing executive orders, the U.S. President expressed hope that resolving issues with Iran would not require military action. During his first term, he adopted a 'maximum pressure' policy against Iran, which significantly impacted Tehran's oil revenue, and it is said that his second term will likely continue this policy. Iran reached the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA with Western powers, including the United States, in 2015, under which the Islamic Republic limited aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of U.S. and European sanctions against Tehran. However, in 2018, coinciding with Trump's first term, the U.S. government withdrew from the JCPOA. In response, Tehran gradually deviated from its JCPOA commitments, including increasing the amount and concentration of uranium enrichment, a matter that ultimately led to the issuance of two critical resolutions by the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors last year. On Thursday, the U.S. President, in response to a Fox News host's question about whether he trusts the Iranian government, stated that an agreement must be reached that has pathways for complete trust and a precise timeline.