Iran and US begin drafting framework for nuclear deal

Sunday 20 April 2025 - 10:40

By: Zahouani Ilham

Iran and US begin drafting framework for nuclear deal

Iran and the United States have agreed to start working on a framework for a possible nuclear agreement, following recent talks that have been described as yielding significant progress. The discussions, which were held indirectly, took place in Rome between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The meeting lasted for four hours and was mediated by an Omani official who conveyed messages between both sides.

According to Araqchi, the talks were constructive and led to advancements on key principles and goals, leading to a clearer mutual understanding. He emphasized that although there was progress, caution was still necessary, stating that optimism could not be guaranteed, but neither was pessimism warranted. It was agreed that further negotiations would continue, with expert-level discussions planned for Wednesday in Oman, where experts will work on outlining a framework for the agreement.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and it has expressed willingness to consider limited restrictions on its atomic activities in exchange for the removal of international sanctions. While both sides agreed to meet again next week, the Trump administration official confirmed that the discussions were productive.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, emphasizing that a prosperous and peaceful Iran is in everyone's interest. Despite these developments, Israel has not ruled out potential military action against Iran's nuclear facilities, particularly as Iran has continued to exceed the uranium enrichment limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal, which was abandoned by the U.S. in 2018.

Iran's stance on the negotiations includes its refusal to dismantle its uranium enrichment centrifuges, halt enrichment, or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below the levels stipulated in the 2015 agreement.