(PatriotWise.com) — In a last-ditch effort to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon while securing the release of US detainees, the Biden administration is offering Tehran billions in frozen assets, the New York Times reported.
The Biden administration wants to convince Iran to halt its enrichment of uranium at 60 percent purity in exchange for financial concessions, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
Washington hopes to reach an unwritten, informal agreement with Tehran, which Iranian officials describe as a “political cease-fire.” The goal of the agreement would be to prevent an escalation in the hostile relationship between the two countries that has increased over Iran stockpiling highly-enriched uranium while supplying drones to Russia.
The informal talks between the US and Iran largely took place in Oman, according to a recent report from Axios.
The outlines of the negotiations were confirmed to the New York Times by a US official, an Iranian official, and three senior officials from Israel.
After then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear deal in 2018 and imposed new sanctions, Iran accelerated its nuclear program. Currently, Iran is refining uranium at 60 percent and has been moving toward the 90 percent purity necessary for nuclear weapons.
Under the agreement, which the two Israeli officials described as “imminent,” Iran would agree to keep its uranium production level at 60 percent. It would also agree to halt its proxies’ attacks on US contractors in Iraq and Syria, halt the sale of ballistic missiles to Russia, and further cooperate with IAEA inspectors.
In return, the United States would not tighten the existing economic sanctions on Iran and stop seizures of foreign tankers shipping Iranian oil. The US would also refrain from seeking new resolutions against Iran for its nuclear activities with either the United Nations or the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
Iran is also expecting the US to unfreeze billions in Iranian assets which would be used only for humanitarian purposes. In exchange, Tehran will release three Iranian-American prisoners. However, US officials have not confirmed that the money is linked to the release of the detainees.
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