Iran may accept compromise on nuclear deal, hints state news agency

Iran's official news agency IRNA on Friday (August 12) suggested that Tehran may accept the final compromise worked out in Vienna to save the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Quoting a senior (unidentified) Iranian diplomat, the news agency stated that a European Union proposal to revive the deal "can be acceptable if it provides assurances" on Tehran's key demands.

"The European Union's proposals are acceptable provided that they provide assurances to Iran on various points, related to sanctions and safeguards," IRNA said.

It added that the assurances must also be provided on pending issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

At Friday prayers in the capital Tehran, Kazem Seddiqi said, "We insist on getting the necessary guarantees, the lifting of sanctions and verification, and if this is achieved, then our negotiating team will tell the people that sanctions have been lifted thanks to your resistance and power."

The nuclear deal was signed in 2015 and Iran agreed to a pact with six major powers to limit its nuclear program. It was harder for Iran to obtain a weapon in return for relief from economic sanctions.

But former US President Donald Trump reneged on the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran. Trump's decision led Tehran to start violating the agreement's nuclear limits about a year later.

The ongoing EU-coordinated negotiations to revive the JCPOA started in April 2021. However, it came to a standstill in March.

In the latest development, the EU said on Tuesday that it expected Tehran and Washington to "very quickly" respond to a "final" text aimed at salvaging the 2015 deal.

Although Tehran denies it, but reports have stated that Iran is already enriching uranium to up to 60% fissile purity.

The level is far above a cap of 3.67% set under the now tattered nuclear deal which was signed in 2015. Uranium enriched to 90% is suitable for a nuclear bomb.

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