For a second day in a row, coverage of nuclear negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran emphasized expressions of optimism while noting that Iranian negotiators have not in fact offered anything substantively concrete or new.
Officials quoted by Reuters yesterday described “no apparent narrowing of differences” and worried that what was known about Iran’s offer would “allow them to keep their whole program.” The Washington Post‘s Anne Applebaum evaluated:
After years of no progress with Iran, why the sudden good cheer? It’s certainly not because Rouhani represents a radical new strand of Iranian thinking about nuclear power. After all, he was Iran’s nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005. Parts of the nuclear program were temporarily suspended during that time, but it was never eliminated.
Applebaum specifically cited concerns over Rouhani’s Justice Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, who has for years been subject to intense criticism by human rights groups for his participation in the mass murder of anti-regime dissidents. Leaked details of Iran’s offer to the P5+1 indicated that Iran had offered a three-stage plan that would allow Tehran to continue enriching uranium in exchange for snap inspections of known nuclear facilities.
The insidery KGS NightWatch security bulletin unpacked the offer:
Press accounts indicate Iran has offered a three stage plan that includes snap inspections of nuclear facilities and an agreement to limit uranium enrichment in return for an easing of sanctions. If accepted, it would mean that the six nations agree to allow Iran to enrich uranium. Moreover, snap inspections of declared facilities is a deceptively easy concession to make. Iran already has been found to have built at least one facility that was not declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency until after it was discovered.
NightWatch compared the offer to ones made by Rouhani when he led Iran’s nuclear negotiations in the mid-2000s, during which Iran would “offer small compromises by Iran in return for major concessions by the West and others.”
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