The Obama administration is hinting that it would be open to making concessions
over Iran’s nuclear program so long as the country agrees to numerous
safeguards, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.
US government
officials have been hinting that in upcoming P5+1 (United States, France,
Germany, Britain, China and Russia) talks with Iran, Obama may agree to it
continuing to enrich uranium up to 5 percent purity – the upper end of the range
for civilian purposes – in exchange for Tehran agreeing to unrestricted
inspections, strict oversight of the nuclear program and numerous other
safeguards long demanded by the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, according to
the report.
The idea of allowing Tehran to continue to enrich uranium is
contentious considering that even at 5% enrichment, Iranian scientists might be
able to gain the knowledge and experience to build a bomb, the report
stated.
The White House has long denied being open to a compromise on
Iranian uranium enrichment.
Talks between Iran and the P5+1 that took
place earlier this month were praised by the White House as a “positive first
step,” but Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, called them a “five-week gift for Iran to continue
enriching uranium.”
The P5+1 are due to meet Iran for a second round of
nuclear negotiations on May 23 in Baghdad. A senior administration official was
quoted by the Times as saying that “there can be a discussion” of allowing
low-level domestic enrichment. The report also cited Gary Samore, a top White
House official on nuclear proliferation, as saying that which parts of Tehran’s
program can continue “is a matter for negotiations.”
