Axios: Iran Seeks to Achieve a Temporary Nuclear Agreement in Oman Talks

The website "Axios" reported that Iran intends to propose working on a "temporary nuclear agreement" during negotiations with the U.S. on April 23, before discussions aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special representative for the Middle East, is set to meet with Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, in Oman on Saturday. Axios, citing a "European diplomat" and an "informed source," wrote: "The Iranians believe that reaching a complex and highly technical nuclear agreement within two months is unrealistic, and they want more time to prevent escalating tensions." This is significant because, according to reports, the U.S. President had given Iran a "deadline" of "two months" in his letter to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, to reach a new nuclear agreement. In the meantime, the United States has been strengthening its military presence in the region to have military options available in case of "diplomatic failure." Rubio is optimistic about "direct negotiations" between Iran and the U.S. Donald Trump stated on April 20: "If military action is needed, we will take that action. Israel will clearly play a serious role in this matter. They will lead the attack." Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, told Axios: "It seems the Iranians believe that it is unlikely to reach a sustainable agreement within the timeframe that President Trump has in mind. Therefore, it may be necessary to consider a temporary agreement as a stopgap to reach a final agreement." The Iranian mission to the United Nations has not commented on this matter. According to the report, a temporary agreement between the United States and Iran could include suspending some uranium enrichment activities, diluting 60% enriched uranium stocks, and allowing greater access for UN inspectors to Iran's nuclear facilities. Axios added that these steps could increase Iran's breakout time for producing nuclear weapons. However, these measures could also help build trust and pursue negotiations for a comprehensive agreement. A temporary agreement could also include extending the "snapback mechanism," which is part of the July 2015 nuclear agreement known as the "JCPOA." In case of a breach of the agreement, the snapback mechanism allows the opposing parties to demand the reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. This mechanism is set to expire in October. France, Britain, and Germany have told Iran that if a new agreement is not reached by the end of June, they will initiate the process of implementing the snapback mechanism. According to the website, a temporary agreement would likely include Tehran's request to suspend Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran's economy. It is unclear whether the U.S. President is willing to do this. Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, a political advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, wrote in a recent post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the Iranian foreign minister is heading to Oman with "full authority." He claimed, "Tehran is seeking a real and fair agreement away from show and rhetoric in front of cameras, and important and actionable proposals are ready." Mr. Shamkhani did not provide details about Iran's "important proposals" and only stated that "if Washington enters the agreement with sincerity and will, the path to agreement will be clear and smooth." The political advisor to Khamenei had threatened a day earlier that if Iran finds itself in a "military attack situation," it will "expel inspectors from the agency and cease cooperation with it" and move enriched uranium to "secure and undisclosed locations."