US to offer softer plan in Teheran nuke talks

Diplomats say proposals would allow both sides to claim victory

The United States is considering softening its demand that Iran gut its uranium-enrichment program in favor of a new proposal that would allow Teheran to keep nearly half of its infrastructure intact if it imposes certain constraints on the use of existing facilities for the building of nuclear weapons, diplomats told The Associated Press.

The initiative, revealed late on Thursday, comes after months of nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers that have failed to substantially narrow differences over the future size and capacity of Teheran's enrichment program.

Iran insists it does not want nuclear arms, but the West is only willing to lift nuclear-related sanctions if Teheran agrees to substantially shrink its enrichment and other activities that it could turn toward making such weapons.

The US, which fears Teheran may enrich uranium to weapons-grade level used to arm nuclear warheads, wants no more than 1,500 centrifuges to be left in operation. Iran insists it wants to use the technology only to make reactor fuel and other peaceful purposes. And it insists it be allowed to run at least the current 9,400 machines.

The tentative new US offer attempts to meet the Iranians close to halfway on numbers, according to two diplomats who requested anonymity because their information is confidential. They said the new terms would let Iran keep up to 4,500 centrifuges while reducing the stock of uranium gas fed into the machines to the point where it would take more than a year of enriching to create enough material for a nuclear warhead.

That, they said, would give the international community enough lead time to react to any such attempt.

The diplomats emphasized that the proposal is only one of several being discussed by the six powers - China, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and the US - and has not yet been submitted to the Iranians.

Other ideas also include letting Iran have more than 1,500 machines but removing or destroying much of the infrastructure needed to make them run - pipes used to feed uranium gas, wiring and other auxiliary equipment.

Both ideas would allow the Iranians to claim that they did not compromise on vows that they would never emasculate their enrichment capabilities, while keeping intact US demands that the program be downgraded to a point where it could not be quickly turned toward making bombs.

Lack of progress

The new proposals reflect Washington's desire to advance the talks ahead of a Nov 24 deadline that was extended from July. The current round began a week ago on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, leading to speculation that foreign ministers of the negotiating nations would join in the talks. But the diplomats said that was no longer planned because of the lack of substantial progress.

The fates of a reactor under construction near the city of Arak and of an underground enrichment facility at Fordo are also contentious issues. The US and its Western allies want the reactor converted to reduce its production of plutonium to a minimum. And they insist that the Fordo plant be shuttered or used for something other than enrichment because it is fortified and thought to be impervious to air attacks.

Germany's foreign minister said on Thursday that the six world powers have never been so close to a deal with Iran and that this latest proposal would resolve the decadelong nuclear standoff once and for all.

"We have never been so close to a deal as now. But the truth is that the final phase of the talks that lie before us is probably the most difficult," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

AP - Reuters

(China Daily 09/27/2014 page11)