THE US and Europe are preparing to make a major concession to Iran to end the deadlock over its nuclear programme, according to American and European sources.
In what amounts to a major policy shift, the Obama administration is set to drop a precondition for the start of negotiations on the nuclear issue – that Iran first suspends its uranium enrichment process.
The precondition has been the biggest stumbling block in efforts over the past few years to open talks. The Bush administration insisted upon it but Tehran adamantly refused.
An announcement is imminent of a location and date for the first direct talks between the US – alongside Europe – and Iran on the nuclear issue.
Negotiations have been given added urgency by threats by the new Israeli government, led by Binyamin Netanyahu, to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent it achieving a nuclear weapons capability. Israel predicts Iran could reach this point by autumn.
The Israeli president, Shimon Peres, in a radio interview on Sunday, urged the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to enter into the talks proposed by President Barack Obama. If Mr Ahmadinejad failed to back down over the nuclear issue, “we’ll strike him”, Mr Peres said.
The US, Europe and Israel allege Iran is intent on building a nuclear weapon and say that this is unacceptable. Tehran denies this, claiming its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only, to help generate electricity.
Iran is so far down the road towards achieving a nuclear weapons capability that it is becoming increasingly hard for the US to force it to suspend its nuclear activities.
The best that Mr Obama may secure is a fudge in which Iran has the knowhow but stops just short of building nuclear weapons and agrees to intensive United Nations weapons inspections.
Last week the European foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, offered Iran the chance to sit down with the US for direct talks, along with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, was reported to have agreed to the talks.
The Tehran Times said that Mr Jalili, who spoke to Mr Solana on Monday, welcomed the talks, saying all parties should “take account of the realities” and recent developments in the world.
A US state department official could not confirm Iran’s response yesterday, but said the US remained ready to meet Iran.
“These discussions provide an opportunity for serious engagement on how to break the log-jam of recent years and work in a co-operative manner to resolve the outstanding international concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme,” he said.
A British official declined to comment on the dropping of the precondition but said: “Britain in general welcomes the direction of travel of the US policy towards Iran”. On a smaller scale, relations between the US and Iran were strained yesterday when Iran put a US journalist on trial.
The US has pressed for the release of Roxana Saberi, who is accused of spying. A judiciary spokesman, Ali Reza Jamshidi, said the court would issue a verdict within the next two to three weeks. – ( Guardian service)