Iran could pursue an interim nuclear deal with the US as a stopgap solution until the two countries thrash out a broader agreement, Axios has reported, citing an anonymous European diplomat and another unnamed source.
Washington and Tehran are set to hold negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program in Oman on Saturday. US President Donald Trump has claimed the talks will be direct while the Islamic Republic maintains that they will be conducted through an intermediary. White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to lead the US delegation, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi heading the group of Iranian representatives.
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In an article on Thursday, Axios quoted its sources as saying that Tehran has deemed it unrealistic to work out a comprehensive accord within the two-month timeframe set earlier by the White House.
The media outlet speculated that an interim agreement could see Iran suspending some of its uranium enrichment activities as well as diluting its 60% enriched uranium stockpile and providing UN inspectors with better access to the country’s nuclear facilities.
Tehran, in turn, could demand that Washington suspend its “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against the Islamic Republic.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made it clear that his country is “ready for engagement … but this engagement must be indirect, dignified, and accompanied by clear guarantees, because we still do not trust the other side.”
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The official also rejected Western claims that Iran is secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said that he viewed the upcoming meeting in Oman as the beginning of a process, noting that “we don’t have much time.” He also insisted that “we’re not going to let [Tehran] have a nuclear weapon.”
When asked whether he would use force against Iran if the talks failed to produce the intended result, Trump replied that he “absolutely” would.
Earlier this month, the US president ordered a buildup of US military forces in the Middle East and threatened to bomb Iran if a nuclear deal was not reached.
In 2015, Iran signed a UN-backed agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), curbing its nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal during his first term as president in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.