New Talks with Iran Start Off the Same but Different
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iStock/Thinkstock(GENEVA) — The resumption of negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program began in Geneva Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif making a proposal that still might not be agreeable to the U.S. and five other nations attending the talks.
While specific details weren’t revealed, it’s believed that Iran wants to continue enriching uranium, a key step in building atomic weapons even as Tehran has long insisted its nuclear ambitions are of a peaceful nature.
However, what Zarif might be offering, in exchange for the international community lifting punishing sanctions against his country, seems to be a move away from the hard line Iran has taken in the past that scuttled previous talks.
The Iranian Students’ News Agency, ISNA, quoted deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying that Zarif listed steps that would be taken while Iran enriches its uranium until such time that the so-called P5+1 group is satisfied that Tehran is not interested in nuclear weapons capabilities.
Among other things, the United Nations nuclear watchdog group, the International Atomic Energy Agency, would continue to monitor the enrichment.
Although the offer could fall short of convincing the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany that Iran is acting in good faith, one State Department official did describe the talks as “workmanlike” and that more discussions will follow on Wednesday.
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