US responds to Iran’s nuclear deal proposals

Tehran has received a US response on the “final” text of the 2015 deal limiting Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tehran has begun a careful review of the response and will share its opinion with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, whose team drafted the text.

Other signatories of the deal — France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China — agree to the text.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said a deal was close, but refused to reveal the issues at stake. He said: “We’re not going to want to negotiate this thing in public.”

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He confirmed that Iran has withdrawn demands which were rejected by the US, but called on Tehran to explain to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) how traces of uranium found at decades-old sites were not disclosed to the agency. It has not accepted Iran’s claim that Israel or the Iranian opposition organisation, Mujahedine-e-Khalq, sabotaged the sites.

Mr Borrell described Iran’s views on the text as reasonable. Iran wants to identify which sanctions the US will lift and when they will be lifted. It is also seeking an extended wind-down period for foreign firms investing in or trading with Iran if the US were to withdraw from the revived deal and impose sanctions — as former US president Donald Trump did in 2018.

Iran says post-Trump sanctions should be lifted while the US wants sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile programme and regional interventions to be retained.

Mr Kirby said the new deal provides “sanctions relief” but will not eliminate or reduce all sanctions in place. He said the deal will not deter the US from imposing fresh sanctions. The Biden administration has followed its predecessor by placing multiple sanctions on Iranian organisations and political figures.

If accepted, the deal would proceed in four phases over six months. On the day of its implementation, sanctions would be lifted on 500 Iranian financial entities and 17 banks. A total of $7 billion in Iranian deposits in South Korean banks would be unblocked, and Iran could openly export 500,000 barrels of oil a day, an increase of 50 per cent. Iran would also return to compliance regarding its enrichment of uranium.

The US delivered its views a day after US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met his Israeli counterpart Eyal Hulat. Israeli prime minister Yari Lapid has rejected a return to the deal and said Israel would not abide by it. Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz is due to hold talks on Friday with Mr Sullivan.

During the 17-month negotiations, Iran and the US have mounted tit-for-tat strikes in Syria. On August 15th, hours before Iran sent its views on the text to Mr Borrell, a US military base at Tanf in south-eastern Syria was attacked by armed drones flown from a military camp manned by pro-Iranian militiamen. On August 24th, hours before Washington provided its comments on the text, US warplanes bombed the camp, killing six Syrian soldiers and foreign fighters.

During this critical period in the 17-month negotiations, Iran and the US have displayed toughness by mounting tit-for-tat strikes on each others’ assets in Syria. On August 15th, hours before Iran transmitted its views on the text to Mr Borrell, a US military base at Tanf in south-eastern Syria was attacked by armed drones flown from a military camp manned by pro-Iranian militiamen. On the 24th, hours before Washington provided its comments on the text, US warplanes bombed the camp, killing six Syrian soldiers and foreign fighters.   Further US strikes were conducted overnight.