IRAN has a vested interest in holding talks with the six world powers on the nuclear program. Obviously, Tehran has a variety of tricks in its repertoire and appears to take satisfaction in buying more time.

The crux of the matter is that Iran wants to get sanctions imposed by the West lifted. But it has not been successful in assuring Western countries over the nature of its nuclear program. Tehran blows hot and cold on the uranium enrichment issue. Senior officials in Iran know two facts very well: First, short of cutting a deal with the West over uranium enrichment, the possibility of lifting sanctions is next to zero. Second, sanctions are hurting and the internal hardships are likely to increase.

Also, Western countries know very well that sanctions are causing problems that Iranian leaders are unable to deal with. Therefore, it is trying to get Iran agree on a proposal that would sharply limit Tehran's stockpile of enriched uranium.

In talks held between Iran and the six world powers last week in Kazakhstan, the two sides agreed to meet again in March and in April to discuss a formula of lifting some sanctions as a quid pro quo for reducing the Iranian stockpile of enriched uranium. The world powers have suggested a set of steps to pave the way for a solid agreement with Iran.

This time, the P5 plus one focuses only on steps that would lead to suspension of enrichment instead of demanding Iran to shut down its enrichment plant at Fordo. Iran, according to this new thinking, can keep up to 20 percent enriched uranium that may not be enough to produce a nuclear bomb but enough to be used in a reactor to produce medical isotopes.

If Iran is serious about its peaceful intentions and its desire to avert a military clash with the West, it must embrace this chance before it is too late. Nonetheless, it is not as if Iranian leaders have a consensus on anything. The internal infighting between different key politicians is likely to weigh on any decision that Ali Khamenei is going to take with regard to this proposal.

It remains to be seen how the Iranian leadership is going to deal with a proposal that its chief negotiator Saeed Jalili dubbed as “more realistic.” He also added that the meeting was a constructive turning point. Simultaneously, the West is skeptical of Iran's real position. Senior Western diplomats pointed out that the upcoming meetings on March 18 and 19 to be held in Turkey will be devoted to explaining the technical aspect of the proposal. Some of them argue that Iran may come up with a counter proposal that would take both sides to square one.

Thus far, the West has been offering a mix of sanctions and concessions. The new proposal contains more concessions but the question is whether the Iranian leadership will take advantage and seize this new opportunity of the softening of the West position.

Secretary of State John Kerry said that “The talks were useful, and we look to Iran to carefully review the credible confidence-building steps that the P5 Plus 1 has put on the table... If Iran engages seriously — and we hope they will — then these talks could pave the way for negotiations that lead toward a longer-term and more comprehensive agreement.”

During the meeting between the P5 plus 1 and Iran, neither side talked about the elephant in the room: The Israeli position. It is not a secret that Israel is putting the heat under the international community to do something to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities. Germany, UK, France, and the United States were in contact with Israel for coordination of their positions prior to the talk held in Kazakhstan. On top of that, an American delegation headed by Wendy Sherman, the undersecretary for political affairs, is expected to arrive in Israel to update the Israeli side of the situation and the content of the talks.

If anything, Iran's apparent readiness to study the new proposal is a sign of weakness. It seems that sanctions have left a great imprint on the internal scene in Iran especially before the June presidential elections. Iranian leadership realizes that the cost of sanctions will grow up in months to come and that it may not be possible to explain the continuous decline of the Iranian economy.

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