In talks with Iran, US rebuffs Israel's demand for full dismantling of enrichment infra: Report

The Donald Trump administration of the United States has rebuffed a key Israeli demand in the ongoing US-Iran talks, according to a report.

The Trump administration has held four rounds of talks with Iran regarding the regime’s nuclear weapons programme.

In these talks, the Trump administration has not adopted Israel’s demand for the full dismantling of Iran’s enrichment facilities, as per The Jerusalem Post.

President Trump on Thursday said the United States and Iran were engaged in “very serious negotiations” and Iran has “sort of” agreed to the terms of the deal.

ALSO READ: Trump wants a ‘verified nuclear peace agreement’ with Iran. But how different it’d be from 2015 deal?

Trump is seeking a deal that could make way for the end of Iran’s nuclear programme and a new political and economic relationship in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. That deal would replace the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that the Barack Obama administration negotiated with Iran in 2015. Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018, but could not negotiate a new deal in his first term.

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US rebuffs Israel’s demand of ‘Libya model’ for Iran talks

Israel has demanded that the Trump administration should follow the ‘Libya model’ for nuclear talks with Iran, according to The Post.

The Libya model refers to the strategy that Western nations undertook for Libya’s weapons of mass destructions (WMD) programme.

In 2003, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi reached an agreement with the United States and United Kingdom for the dismantling of its WMD programme, which comprised nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Under the deal, all enrichment infrastructure was dismantled.

The Post reported two Western officials as saying that the Israel-endorsed Libya model is not the default position in talks with Iran and that multiple options regarding the country’s enrichment facilities and uranium enrichment are under discussions.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said that Iran would never give up its right to a civilian nuclear programme and that “none of our nuclear enrichment facilities will be dismantled”.

Supreme Leader’s aide lays down condition to give up nuclear programme

Ali Shamkhani, a top aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, has said that Iran would commit to never develop nuclear weapons under one condition.

Shamkhani told NBC News that Iran would commit to never develop nuclear weapons, destroy its stockpile of weapons-grade nuclear fuel, and accept international oversight for its civilian nuclear programme if the United States would lift all sanctions.

In Iran, the final say on all policy matters rests with the Supreme Leader.