Araghchi: US deal ‘within reach’ if sanctions lifted, enrichment allowed
US mission outlines trust-building measures
The Iranian foreign minister underlined that an agreement with the United States is “within reach” once the Islamic Republic’s right to uranium enrichment is ensured and unilateral sanctions against the country are terminated.
Abbas Araghchi made the statement in a post on his X account on Wednesday, as Iran and the United States are scheduled to hold the 6th round of their indirect talks on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program in the Omani capital of Muscat on Sunday, June 15.
The negotiations have oftentimes gone through slings and arrows despite the two sides’ expression of satisfaction with the process of the talks as the administration of US President Donald Trump has been throwing a spanner in the works via its excessive demands, including the reduction of Iran’s uranium enrichment level to zero, and fueling baseless concerns over Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon.
“President Trump entered office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal,” Araghchi said.
“As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is within reach — and could be achieved rapidly.”
The Iranian foreign minister, however, underlined, “That mutually beneficial outcome relies on the continuation of Iran’s enrichment program, under the full supervision of the IAEA, and the effective termination of sanctions.”
Meanwhile, the US Mission Vienna’s chargé d’Affaires also outlined a path to agreement in Iran-US talks.
“Iran now has a clear opportunity to build confidence: by providing the Agency with greater transparency, not less; by implementing the Additional Protocol, not limiting inspections; by ending its production of highly enriched uranium, not accelerating it; by accepting the designation of Agency inspectors, not undermining the Agency’s verification,” Howard Solomon said.
However, in another instance of mixed signals coming from the Trump administration, the US president himself expressed doubt that Iran will agree to halt uranium enrichment as part of a nuclear deal with the US.
In an interview on the “Pod Force One” podcast, released on Wednesday, the US president admitted his confidence was waning when asked if he believed he could convince Iran to shut down its nuclear program.
“I don’t know,” he said, “I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it.”
Since April 12, Iran and the United States have held five rounds of indirect talks, mediated by Oman, on a replacement for the 2015 nuclear deal, which was derailed by the American withdrawal in 2018.
Over the past decade, Iran has on numerous occasions proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, as evidenced in more than a dozen reports by the IAEA.