The two rounds of indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have produced unique proposals addressing Iran’s nuclear program — its enrichment capabilities and supply of highly enriched uranium — and how to make a deal that’s economically beneficial to both countries, diplomatic sources tell CBS News.
While Tehran seeks sanctions relief from the U.S., a diplomatic source with knowledge of the Oman-mediated negotiations told CBS News that Iran has also indicated it may be willing to purchase American aircraft and to offer possible access to oil and gas fields and joint investment opportunities.
Two regional officials told CBS News that diplomats had advised U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to separate Iran’s nuclear program from other issues, like Tehran’s support for militias that target U.S. interests and the regime’s ballistic missile supply. The two officials said Witkoff seemed to embrace the idea of handling those topics in a separate diplomatic track with regional actors.
But a deal that only addresses Iran’s nuclear program is unacceptable to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has publicly declared that an agreement must also address both Iran’s ballistic missile supply and its regionally destabilizing militias.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also described a meaningful deal as one that would include those two issues, and he’s planning to visit Israel at the end of the month for talks about Iran.
Mr. Trump has been less explicit about the contours of a deal, though he has set one bright red line for the indirect diplomatic talks with Iran: no nuclear weapons. Iran has long claimed it is not seeking a weapon. The rest of the president’s demands of Tehran, which are not related to its nuclear program, are less distinct and reveal some flexibility as he weighs whether to militarily strike Iran or await an expected offer from Tehran in the coming days.
“We do have some work to do with Iran. They can’t have nuclear weapons. Very simple. You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said on Tuesday at the inaugural event in Washington, D.C., for his Board of Peace.
He acknowledged Thursday that he’s nearing a decision point within the next 10-15 days, and prefers diplomacy to military strikes against Iran. Diplomats said the deadline may be shorter, noting that next Tuesday, on Feb. 24, the president delivers a State of the Union address to Congress and the nation.
CBS News has also previously reported that American and Israeli officials have been discussing joint operations to strike Iran’s ballistic missile supply. A regional official told CBS that Israel wants to maintain the military superiority in the region it gained after the 12-day war in June, which is why it is eager to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program. But if any such strikes were conducted, however limited in scope, they would be sure to drive Iran away from the negotiating table, the official said. This consideration may not deter the U.S. from acting, however.
“The president made clear to Israel that he recognizes Iran’s missile program is a severe threat to Israel and Jerusalem reserves the right to destroy that program. Iran has actively reconstituted its missile supply with assistance from China,” FDD’s Mark Dubowitz told CBS News.
The ongoing nuclear talks are a tacit acknowledgement that Iran’s nuclear ambitions may not have been decimated by American B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles during Operation Midnight Hammer last summer, despite the president’s claim of “total obliteration.”
Two regional officials told CBS News that the current diplomacy being encouraged by Arab states as well as Turkey does not involve regime change. As one Mideast official put it, the issue is “changing the policies of the regime” and not the regime itself. But nodding to Iran hawks in Congress, the same official said there is a “strong current in America that has interest in regime change in Iran.”
U.S. allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, have said they oppose any use of their territory for a military operation and are supporting diplomacy. There are roughly 40,000 U.S. troops in the Mideast and many are based in those countries. A retaliatory strike by Iran could put them in danger.
Turkey engaged in an earlier attempt to prod Iran to consider negotiating with the Trump representatives, despite their past negative experiences, in particular, Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord known as the JCPOA, as well as his more recent decision last summer to carry out strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Mr. Trump was briefed Wednesday about the latest developments on Iran, including the diplomatic talks in Geneva conducted Tuesday by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Witkoff. Those indirect talks were held with veteran Iranian diplomat Abbas Aragchi, with assistance from Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi. Rafael Grossi, who runs the UN nuclear watchdog that has been shut out of conducting regular inspections of Iran’s facilities, was also consulted.
