Omani and Saudi Arabian officials have proposed building a nuclear enrichment facility in the Gulf alongside Iran in an attempt to overcome obstacles in ongoing nuclear talks.
US envoy Steve Witkoff provided Iran with a proposal for a nuclear deal over the weekend, which includes a consortium to provide nuclear fuel to Iran and any of its neighbours interested in developing civilian nuclear power or research programmes, according to a New York Times report on Tuesday.
The idea is part of an attempt to bridge Washington and Tehran’s red lines that could scuttle a deal.
US President Donald Trump says the US will not allow Iran to enrich uranium as part of a nuclear deal, while Tehran insists it retains the right to enrichment for civilian purposes.
The nuclear consortium could include Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the report said. The Gulf states are close US partners with their own nuclear ambitions. They are rivals with Iran but have undergone a fragile rapprochement. The consortium would be overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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The NYT reported that Iran may be prepared to accept the consortium idea in order to prevent the collapse of talks but could push to build the enrichment facility on one of their islands, including Kish or Qeshm in the Gulf.
Another option could be to build the facility on a disputed island. Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb in the Gulf have been occupied by Iran since 1971 but are claimed by the UAE.
Until the consortium gets up and running, Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium at low levels. Axios reported on Monday that the Witkoff proposal would allow Iran to enrich Uranium to three percent, well below the 60 percent it is currently at.
Trump said on Monday, after the Axios report, that Iran would not be allowed to enrich uranium.
But if the final stage of the deal prevents Iran from enriching uranium alone once a consortium is established, it could give Trump some wriggle room around his publicly stated position.
Although there are several flashpoints that could derail an agreement, whether Iran is able to enrich uranium on its soil, as part of a consortium or not, is shaping up to be the biggest obstacle.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Iran’s right to enrich uranium on its soil was a “red line” after the United States submitted its proposal for a new nuclear deal.
“Continuing enrichment on Iranian soil is our red line,” Araghchi said while on a visit to Lebanon, adding that his country will respond to the proposal in the coming days based on Iran’s “principled positions and the interests of the Iranian people”.
Iran has also called on the US to lift all sanctions on the country, not just those related to its nuclear programme, as part of a deal, the NYT reported.
Trump is under pressure from Republicans in the US Congress and Israel to take a hard line on Iran. He said last month that he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to launch preemptive military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
