Iran sets conditions in nuclear talks — is Tehran ready to halt uranium enrichment?

Iran has presented a set of conditions to the United States in exchange for limiting its nuclear program. This was reported by sources to The Wall Street Journal. The indirect negotiations took place on April 12 in Oman.

What conditions did Iran set?
During the talks, Iran outlined the following key demands:

The US must ease sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear energy sector;
Unblock billions of dollars in frozen assets abroad;
Stop pressuring Chinese companies that purchase Iranian oil.

What is Iran offering in return?
In exchange for these “concessions”, Iran stated its readiness to:

return to the uranium enrichment levels set by the 2015 nuclear agreement.

This deal had previously been scrapped by Donald Trump during his first term as president.

Washington remains skeptical
According to The Wall Street Journal:

If Iran doesn’t accept additional commitments, the US is unlikely to agree to sanctions relief;
The Trump administration opposes allowing Tehran to retain uranium enrichment rights.

Did the US avoid maximalist demands?
The report indicates that this time, Washington did not insist on maximalist conditions. The Trump administration focused on:

“Ensuring that Iran does not turn its existing materials into weapons.”

Both sides hopeful about the dialogue
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as:

“Constructive and held in mutual respect.”

“I believe we are close to establishing a basis for negotiations. If we can finalize it next week, real discussions can begin,” he said.

The White House also called the talks “positive and constructive”. However:

“Until we have results, nothing matters,” — said Donald Trump.

Iran USA Nuclear program Uranium enrichment Sanctions