The renewed talks between Iran and Western governments about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program are a direct result of new conditions that have been created in recent months. The most important change is the increasing pressure on Iran due to harsher sanctions imposed on it, as well as the general assumption that Israel could attack if diplomatic efforts fail. This pressure motivated Iran’s leadership to suggest renewing negotiations while moderating its declarations regarding its nuclear program. It also provides the West better bargaining chips for negotiating with Iran.

Meanwhile, the U.S. administration is prepared to grant Iran certain concessions, mainly in agreeing, in principle, to letting Iran develop its own nuclear program on the condition it proves it is intended for civilian purposes and not for producing nuclear weapons.

To this end, the U.S. has drafted a number of demands. As we know, Iran has a large stockpile of uranium, currently enriched to low levels of 3 percent. If this uranium is enriched to the required levels to produce a nuclear weapon, Iran would have enough for three to four atomic bombs. It also has a smaller amount of uranium enriched to levels of 20%, which can’t be used to make a weapon but would make the process of enriching to military levels significantly quicker if the decision were made to do so.

The American demands are not fully known, but they do include at least two central requirements: shutting down the Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which was dug into the side of a mountain near the city of Qom and is especially difficult to attack; and removing the uranium enriched to levels of 20% out of Iran. 

Read the article in full at Israel Hayom.