European Union diplomats have warned that the United States may be on the verge of making further concessions to Iran in return for an Iranian guarantee of regional stability, according to Israeli Army Radio. The EU officials reportedly said that they suspected that they have been kept out of negotiations by Secretary of State John Kerry. According to the report, Iran would be able to keep 6,500 centrifuges if it promises to ensure order in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. In November of last year, reports had indicated that P5+1 negotiators were aiming for a ceiling of 4,500 centrifuges.
The Associated Press similarly reported yesterday that the United States and Iran were on the verge of a deal which would not require to dismantle any centrifuges, but just to decrease their efficiency. The AP also reported that “[e]xperts warn that any reduction in centrifuge efficiency is reversible more quickly than a straight decrease in the number of machines.”
While further compromises are being discussed, doubts have been raised about how closely Iran has been abiding by the terms of the Joint Plan of Action signed in November 2013.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that Iran has refused to address the agency’s requests to obtain information about suspected past nuclear weapons research. A senior U.S. official told the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington, D.C. think tank, that Iran’s feeding of uranium hexafluoride into an advanced centrifuge was inconsistent with the U.S.’s understanding of the deal.
In December it was reported that France considered the United States too eager to make a nuclear deal with Iran.
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