Iran turned in another set of proposals marked unrealistic by western powers during international nuclear talks. The talks aim at restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), attended by diplomats from the P4+1 – China, France, Russia, the U.K., and Germany. The U.S. also resumed short-lived indirect talks with Iran in November on reinstating the 2015 nuclear pact that former President Donald Trump abandoned three years ago. Despite the prolonged pauses in talks between the international powers, Iran has continued to build its nuclear capacity, prompting Germany to raise concerns. Contradictory understandings of what is “realistic” in the talks have divided the participating states, with Germany begging for compromise and Russia defending Iran’s sovereign rights. Germany is now urging Iran to put forth realistic proposals in line with past compromises, claiming the most recent proposals “are not a basis for a successful end to talks.” 

The Iranian delegation is led by negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, who proposed changes to the text in a draft agreement reportedly 70-80% completed. A senior Iranian official identified U.S. reluctance to lift all sanctions previously reimposed on Iran by Trump as the main challenge to reviving the deal. According to the German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, the window for diplomacy is closing. “We reviewed the proposals… carefully and thoroughly and concluded that Iran violated almost all compromised found previously in months of hard negotiations,” said the spokeswoman. The U.S. has agreed, dismissing the proposals by claiming Iran is not serious about compromise. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman disagreed, stressing that Iran has been flexible and their proposals are “completely within the framework of the JCPOA.” Russia has defended Iran, claiming the nation is simply defending its “sovereign right to define its position.” 

The nuclear talks resumed last month after a five-month hiatus following the election of Iran’s hardline president Ebrahim Raisi in June. In parallel with throwing impractical proposals on the table, Iran’s continuing efforts in advancing its uranium enrichment programmes appear to camouflage the state’s true intentions to resolve the talks quickly and realistically. According to an Israeli intelligence report shared with the U.S., Iran has been taking technical steps to enrich uranium to 90% – the required level for developing a nuclear weapon. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denies the report. Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60%, a level far below what was allowed under the 2015 nuclear pact that President Biden is working to salvage. There is no civilian need for uranium enriched beyond 60%, leaving Iran to walk a tight rope between diplomacy and conflict if the Israeli reports are true and Iran is advancing towards nuclear-grade uranium enrichment. The peaceful route is underway, but western powers have made it clear that the longevity of diplomacy is eroding with every frugal step Iran feigns towards resolution.