The Trump administration’s Iran deal proposal, presented to the Islamic Republic Saturday, permits the Middle Eastern country to maintain limited uranium enrichment capacities for its civilian nuclear program, according to a report released Monday by Axios.
Under the proposed framework, Iran would have to reduce enrichment to 3 percent, end research and development on centrifuges for uranium enrichment, and disable its underground nuclear facilities for an unspecified period of time, as well as submitting to a comprehensive IAEA monitoring program. Nevertheless, its above-ground facilities will be permitted to continue operating to a limited extent to enrich uranium to the levels necessary for fueling its civilian nuclear program, writes Axios.
If the details are correct, this proposal would be similar to the 2015 JCPOA agreement made between Iran and the Obama administration, which Trump exited during his first term. It would also contradict statements made by some U.S. officials involved in Iran negotiations. The former National Security Advisor Mike Walz said that the U.S. would require the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on social media that “Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”
