The United States government has discussed the possibility of helping Iran to access up to $ 30 billion to build a nuclear civil energy production program, relieve sanctions and release billions of dollars in restricted Iranian funds, four sources said.
All topics start from an increasingly intense attempt to bring Iran back to the negotiating table, according to the sources.
Important US and Middle East figures have talked to the Iranians behind the scenes, even in the wave of attacks in Iran and Israel in the last two weeks, the people heard by the report have stressed. These discussions continued this week after the signing of an agreement of.
Trump government officials emphasized that several proposals were presented. They are preliminary and evolve, with a consistently non -negotiable question: zero uranium enrichment by Iran, even if the country has stated that it needs it.
But at least one preliminary proposal, described to the CNN By two sources, it includes several incentives for the Middle East country.
Secret Meeting approached nuclear program without uranium enrichment
Some details were discussed at a secret hours of hours between the US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Gulf partners at the White House last Friday (20), a day before US military attacks against Iran, they told the CNN Two sources.
Among the terms under discussion, which were not previously released, is an estimated investment of $ 20 to 30 billion in a new Iranian nuclear program without uranium enrichment, which would be used for civilian energy purposes, they reported to CNN Trump government officials and sources with knowledge of the proposal.
An authority insisted that money would not come directly from the US, and the country prefers its Arab partners to pay the bill. The investment in Iran’s nuclear energy facilities has been discussed in previous rounds of nuclear negotiations in recent months.
“The US is willing to lead these negotiations. And someone will need to pay for the construction of the nuclear program, but we will not make this commitment” to Iran, a Trump government authority said CNN.
Other incentives include the possible removal of some sanctions to Iran and the permission to access Irano access the $ 6 billion currently deposited in foreign bank accounts, whose use is prohibited, according to the draft described to CNN.
Another idea that came up last week and is being analyzed is that allies supported by the US in the Gulf pay for the replacement of the uranium non -enrichment program, two sources said.
The US attacks against Iran had, which was hit with anti-Bunker bombs.
It was not immediately clear if Iran could use the place, nor how serious this proposal was being considered.
“There are many ideas being discussed by different people, and many of them are trying to be creative,” said one of the sources CNN.
“I think it’s totally uncertain what will happen here,” commented a source with knowledge of the first five rounds of negotiations between those, which occurred before Israeli and Americans attacks to the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump government reinforces position against nuclear weapons
Witkoff told CNBC on Wednesday that the US seeks a “comprehensive peace agreement,” and a Trump government official emphasized that all proposals aim to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The US said Iran may have a nuclear program for peaceful civil purposes, but it cannot enrich the uranium for this program. Instead, the US suggested that Iran could import enriched uranium. Witkoff compared the potential program to the United Arab Emirates.
“Now, the question and conversation with Iran will be: How to rebuild a better civil nuclear program for you that is not enriched?” He told CNBC.
The government may have the opportunity to agree to Iranians. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US and Iran will meet next week-although Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said he was not aware of negotiations, and people involved in the planning said the details were still being defined.
Sources familiar with the discussions told the CNN that there are no defined dates yet.
Despite the fervent diplomacy led by Witkoff behind the scenes, Trump publicly minimized this week the need for a nuclear agreement, also stating on Wednesday that he believed that such an agreement “was not necessary.”
“I don’t care if I have an agreement or not,” said Trump.
Although the president seemed publicly indifferent to the negotiation of a new agreement after the signing of a ceasefire, many of his advisers believe that the search for a long-term agreement will ensure the longevity of the truce.
The terms developed at the Witkoff Secret Meeting have been constant discussions between the US and Iran through regional interlocutors – especially Cautarians – in recent days.
Qatar also played a key role in mediating the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran earlier this week and will work closely with the US to ensure that combat between them are not resumed, one of the sources added.
USA expect attacks to take on agreement
There is hope within the Trump administration that after the events of the last two weeks, Iran is more likely to accept US conditions and interrupt efforts that could bring it closer to the development of a nuclear weapon.
But Iranian experts cite the possible scenario that Iran can now decide that it needs a nuclear weapon.
Earlier this week, the country’s parliament approved legislation to signal the desire to further hide its nuclear program.
Prior to Israel’s military operation about two weeks ago, the US and Iran took five rounds of negotiations to try to reach a structure for a new nuclear agreement.
The US presented a proposal to the Iranians, and it was expected to respond during a sixth round of planned negotiations in Oman. These negotiations were frustrated by attacks on the Middle East.
On Saturday (21), before US attacks on three Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Trump government communicated with Iran through intermediaries.
The message was double: the next American attacks would be contained, but also that US terms for diplomatic agreement were clear and simple – no uranium enrichment, sources said.
Trump has been cautious about the prospects for an agreement, stating reporters after announcing negotiations with Iran next week: “We can sign an agreement, I don’t know.”
“I could get a statement that they will not adopt nuclear energy, we will probably ask that,” Trump said in a NATO summit, the Western Military Alliance on Wednesday (25).
The president added that his government would require the same kind of commitment he sought in the negotiations with Iran before the latest conflict in the Middle East.
“The only thing we would ask is what we asked before,” Trump said, adding he doesn’t want “any nuclear energy.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also acts as a national security counselor, said on Wednesday that any such agreement would depend on Iran’s willingness to negotiate directly with the US, not through intermediaries.
“We would like to have peaceful relationships with any country in the world. And obviously it will depend on Iran’s willingness not only to get involved in peace, but to negotiate directly with the United States, not through a process of a third or fourth country,” Rubio commented to a press conference alongside Trump in The Hague.
Witkoff indicated on Wednesday that there are “signs” that an agreement can be reached.
“We are talking to the Iranians. There are several interlocutors contacting us. I think they are ready,” he told CNBC.
