The Iranian and US governments have been in indirect talks for months and this could mark a turning point in US-Iran relations. In 2015, Iran, the United States, Russia and the EU signed an agreement in which Iran agreed not to enrich uranium beyond 4%. In 2018, former President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, meaning Iran no longer felt the need to abide by the accords. At present, Iran already enriches uranium by about 60%, while about 90% is needed to build nuclear weapons.
“There are small signs we can be confident”
Not much is known about the content of the agreement. “There is no official communication yet. In fact, the official communication denies the existence of this agreement,’ says Kenkhuis.
He continues: “What we do know is that the verbal agreement stipulates that Iran will not enrich uranium beyond 60%, so it will not reach the 90% level needed for a nuclear weapon. Furthermore, Iran should stop attacking American soldiers and mercenaries in Syria and Iraq, cooperate more with international nuclear inspections, and stop selling missiles to Russia.
In return, the United States would no longer impose new sanctions. Iran would also be allowed to sail its tankers freely, and the United States would have to stop filing motions against Iran in the United Nations Security Council. It is also important for Iran and the Iranian economy that the billions of dollars currently locked up due to US sanctions are freed up.
Signs of hope
Kenkhuis finds it difficult to say how likely a deal will be reached. But several countries – Israel, Iran and US officials – have said these talks are ongoing. The talks take place in Oman, where the Americans are staying in one hotel and Iran in the other. They don’t talk to each other directly, but there are hopeful signs,” the correspondent said.
Namely: “Last week, the US Secretary of State released $2.8 billion that Iraq can pay to Iran. This can be seen as a kind of first sign. Furthermore, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that he was also open to any form of negotiation as long as the nuclear infrastructure remains intact. So there are little signs on the horizon that we can be confident about.
‘informal’
According to Kenkhuis, there is a reason to speak of an ‘informal’ agreement. “They call it informal because it won’t be put on paper. This is particularly convenient for the United States, because in that case the agreement does not have to be approved by Congress.’
“Mainly keeps the communication open”
Negotiate further
However, according to the correspondent, this informal agreement can offer a lot. ‘It mainly offers room for further negotiations. It also gives both sides an opportunity to make a national statement that the other side has shown goodwill. And it also prevents both Iran and the US from crossing some sort of final border, leaving no way back. So it mainly keeps communication open and offers a platform for further negotiations.’