Perspective | A New Nuclear Agreement May Be on the Horizon

Dennis Ross, former special assistant to Barack Obama, stated in an article for the Washington Post on Friday that "the Biden administration's goal for any agreement with Iran should be prevention rather than containment." Ross begins his article by referencing reports about indirect negotiations between the Biden administration and the Islamic Republic in Oman, noting that Khamenei's recent comments about an acceptable agreement with the West, provided that Iran's nuclear infrastructure remains intact, are similar to his statements prior to the JCPOA agreement. This analyst adds that during his recent trip to Israel, he heard from officials there that under the upcoming agreement between Iran and the West, the Islamic Republic would agree not to produce uranium enriched above 60%, not to increase its current stockpile of enriched uranium, and to release American dual-national prisoners. In return, Washington would refrain from imposing new sanctions against Iran and allow the Islamic Republic access to approximately $20 billion of its frozen assets. According to Dennis Ross, the Islamic Republic has so far accumulated enough 60% enriched uranium to produce five bombs. He considers the fortification of Iran's nuclear infrastructure another major problem, as it reduces the vulnerability of these facilities to military attacks from Israel and the U.S. Dennis Ross warns that Iran's nuclearization will also push three countries—Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey—toward acquiring nuclear weapons. He outlines four recommendations for the Biden administration: timing agreements with Iran, Biden's assertion of bombing Iran's nuclear facilities if the Islamic Republic moves toward building a nuclear bomb, conducting military maneuvers in the region and practicing attacks on fortified facilities, and immediately filling 180 million barrels of strategic oil reserves. He concludes his article by stating that a dangerous war can be avoided, but "unfortunately, the policy of containment rather than prevention may accelerate the occurrence of that [war]." *The Persian translation of this article is published solely for informational purposes and the views expressed do not reflect those of Voice of America.