The US-Iranian negotiations on Iran's nuclear program saw progress on several key issues in the days before this week's flare-up of strikes, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
According to US officials, the major elements being negotiated in a nuclear agreement could include a 15-year suspension of Iranian uranium enrichment.
Negotiations, US officials told NYT, have moved well beyond deliberations on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, as diplomats have begun narrowing down on four key issues regarding Iran's nuclear program.
In addition to a hiatus on nuclear enrichment, the US is pushing for dilution of Iran's already enriched uranium, the dismantlement of nuclear facilities, and the expansion of international inspections.
The Trump administration has previously demanded a 20-year halt on the enrichment process, but US officials expect a settlement for 15 years.
As for the other points of contention, the US is demanding that the Islamic Republic shut down its three remaining nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, and that the diluting of enriched uranium be overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the implementation of surprise inspections anywhere in Iran, the NYT reported.
Recent US-Iran strikes not impeding negotiations, Americans say
US President Donald Trump said that he believes the US and Iran will still reach a “very good” deal after the US struck Iran, in a phone call with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl just before US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the strikes Tuesday evening.
CENTCOM wrote in their announcement that the strikes were “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” in reference to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.
Multiple other US officials echoed the sentiment that the strikes would not impede negotiations to different news outlets.