CNN revealed the differences that are still hindering the final announcement of the expected agreement between the United States and Iran, despite the atmosphere of optimism that they can be overcome soon.
The network quoted American officials as saying that the discrepancies centered around “wording and language” related to the Iranian nuclear program and the mechanism for lifting sanctions, which led to delaying the agreement to end the war.
According to officials, the presence of a high-ranking Iranian delegation in Doha, which includes prominent figures from the negotiating team, is a “positive indicator” of the continuation of the negotiating path.
Washington is pressing to obtain clear commitments from Tehran to get rid of its highly enriched uranium stock and not to seek to possess a nuclear weapon, while an American official had previously announced that Iran had agreed in principle to these points.
On the other hand, Tehran confirms that it is not currently discussing the details of its nuclear program, considering that these files are left for later rounds of negotiations.
Iran is also seeking pledges to lift sanctions and release frozen assets to revive its economy, while the United States insists that any easing of sanctions will not occur before tangible progress is made in the nuclear file.
In this context, American officials began using the phrase: “No nuclear fallout…no dollars,” indicating that getting rid of highly enriched uranium is a basic condition before Iran obtains any financial gains from the agreement.
This comes in conjunction with the escalation of tension on the Lebanese front, amid Israeli fears that any American-Iranian understanding will restrict Tel Aviv’s military freedom against Hezbollah.
