Iran Delegation Continues Intense Talks in Qatar as US Disputes Nuclear Language, Sanctions

Iran’s delegation continued “intense talks” in Qatar as the US and Iran worked toward what Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as a “memorandum of understanding,” but disputes over language on Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions held up finalization of a deal to end the war.

“An Iranian delegation has travelled to Qatar as Tehran and the United States strive to agree on a deal to end a war that threatens to rend the Middle East and is roiling the global economy”

Al Jazeera

US President Donald Trump said negotiations are “proceeding nicely,” while also demanding that Middle East countries sign the Abraham Accords after a deal is reached, and he laid out plans for destroying Iran’s enriched uranium.

Al Jazeera

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last week that the United States would not bend on recovering Iran’s enriched uranium, saying, “We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” as US officials pushed the refrain “No dust, no dollars.”

In the background of the diplomacy, the IRGC said three explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas early Tuesday local time and later said Iran’s air defense system in Bandar Abbas “has been activated to counter hostile targets,” while IRNA reported “the sound of several consecutive explosions was heard around midnight … in Bandar Abbas city.”

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoted newly appointed Supreme National Security Council leader Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr vowing that “there will be no retreat” in Iran’s fight against the United States and Israel, as Iranian officials arrived in Qatar for negotiations and a diplomatic source told CNN the talks were continuing.

Iran acknowledged progress in talks but said a deal is not imminent, with Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai telling reporters in Tehran on Monday that “to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent - no-one can make such a claim.”

NBC News reported that Iran’s top negotiators, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Doha, Qatar, as part of the ongoing negotiations, while CBS News said Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be announced as soon as Monday.

Al-Quds al-Arabi

Rubio cautioned that “We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today. I wouldn’t read too much into it,” and CNN reported that disputes over language concerning Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions were among the reasons finalization was held up.

Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei emphasized that “at this stage, Iran and the US have not been “talking about the nuclear issue” and their focus is “on ending the war,” which began on February 28,” while Al Jazeera reported that Baghaei said Iran and the US “have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the discussion topics,” but warned “this does not mean that the signing of an agreement is imminent.”

As the talks continued, Trump said the US blockade would “remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed,” while Al Jazeera reported that Iran had continued to block the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping and the US was imposing a blockade on Iran’s ports.

The emerging framework described by US officials centered on extending a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with CBS News reporting that Trump said an agreement is “largely negotiated” and that he will either sign “a great and meaningful” pact with Tehran, “or there will be no deal.”

“What we know and don’t know about the emerging deal to end the Iran war What we know and don’t know about the emerging deal to end the Iran war CAIRO (AP) — The United States and Iran appear to be closing in on a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz”

Associated Press

NBC News said the framework would give the two sides 60 days to reach a full peace deal, and it reported that the agreement would commit Iran to not developing a nuclear weapon while getting the Strait of Hormuz “de-mined and back open for business,” as the US gradually lifted its naval blockade and offered financial relief once Iran followed through.

Al Jazeera reported that the talks in Qatar come after Washington and Tehran observed a ceasefire since April 8, and it said Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference that there are “no guarantees” the US would honour its commitments in any potential deal.

The stakes were also tied to shipping and energy, with PBS citing that reopening the Strait of Hormuz could allow global shipping, including an estimated 20% of the world’s oil, to begin flowing again, while Al Jazeera said Iran’s de facto control of the global economy gave Tehran “tremendous leverage and power.”

As diplomacy proceeds, the sources also tie the next steps to the nuclear timeline and sanctions relief, with PBS saying sanctions relief and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds would be negotiated during a 60-day period, and with BBC reporting that the mooted deal “leaves some of the thorniest issues to be negotiated later,” including the scope and timing of Iranian sanctions relief and Washington’s demands for Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.