WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama is offering face-to-face talks with Iran on its suspected nuclear weapons program as part of America’s new attitude toward its state adversary.
The aim of the move would be to draw Iran into nuclear talks that have been deadlocked over Tehran’s refusal to stop its uranium-enrichment activities.
Yesterday, the Obama administration and its European allies announced they are preparing proposals that would drop a long-standing American insistence that Iran immediately shut down nuclear facilities during the early phases of negotiations over its atomic program, according to officials involved in the discussions.
Last week the US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany said that they were inviting Tehran for talks.
The proposals, exchanged in confidential US strategy sessions with European allies and leaked by the New York Times, would press Tehran to open up its nuclear program gradually to wide-ranging inspection.
Under this new engagement policy, Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium for some period during the talks. This gesture marks a distinct turnaround from the approach taken by the Bush administration, which had demanded Tehran end all of its enrichment activities before entering into formal talks.
The proposals under consideration would go somewhat beyond Obama’s promise during the presidential election campaign to open negotiations with Iran “without preconditions.”
A review of Iran policy that Obama ordered after taking office is still under way. Aides have said that it is not clear how long he would be willing to allow Iran to continue its fuel production, and at what pace.
Enriching uranium can produce fuel for a nuclear power plant or, if purified to a much higher degree, provide material for an atomic bomb. The two processes are virtually indistinguishable when it comes to the infrastructure needed and require regular on-the-ground inspections to ensure compliance with measures to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Iran and the West are at odds over Tehran’s nuclear program, which some countries believe may have a military component. Iran says all its atomic activities are for peaceful, civilian use.
In Iran, the country’s president said late last week that his country is open to talks with the US and other countries over its nuclear program. But he insisted the talks must be based on respect for Iran’s rights, suggesting the West should not try to force Tehran to stop uranium enrichment.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would present a new proposal for negotiations, saying “conditions have changed” — an apparent reference to Obama’s election and Iran’s own progress in its nuclear program since previous talks with Iran were held last year. He did not elaborate on the proposal.
Last week he told German news magazine Der Spiegel that Iran speaks “very respectfully” of Obama, “but we are realists. We want to see real changes.”
If adopted, the Iranian proposals will likely attract fierce criticism from the US president’s conservative critics and new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A senior Israeli official says anonymously that Israel may revive its efforts to take out Iran’s underground nuclear plant at Natanz if Obama does not “completely end” Iran’s uranium-production efforts.
Israel has never officially admitted having nuclear weapons but is widely recognized to possess a significant arsenal. There are estimates it has between 75 and 200 nuclear warheads.
The state is able to maintain its policy of ambiguity, as it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It is therefore not subject to inspections and the threat of sanctions by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
This is a source of grievance for Iran and Arab countries, which are signatories to the treaty. Their attempts to get an IAEA resolution on Israel have been blocked by the United States and its allies.
