DFR Daily News Brief Still Unclear Ahead of P5+1 Meeting

Top of the Agenda: Iran Intentions Still Unclear Ahead of P5+1 Meeting

The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoon Abbasi, on Monday hinted at the potential for a modest concession intended to partially assuage Western concerns regarding the regime's uranium enrichment program (NYT). Abbasi indicated Tehran was prepared to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity "just to meet its own needs." The announcement comes ahead of a planned resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, known as the P5+1. However, in a somewhat contradictory statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said the country would not accept preconditions for the discussions. Analysts say the remarks reflect the debate within the Iranian power structure on how to handle the talks. Western governments had no immediate response.

Analysis

In Foreign Policy, CFR's Steven A. Cook discusses claims that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon would drive proliferation throughout the region. "There are very good reasons for the international community to meet the challenge that Iran represents, but Middle Eastern nuclear dominoes are not one of them," he says. "While Iran is closer to home for the Saudis, the security situation in the Persian Gulf is not as severe as the one along the 1,800-mile Indo-Pakistani border."

Upcoming negotiations are shadowed by Iran's increasing uranium enrichment capabilities. Four nonproliferation experts provide a path for resolving the intensifying nuclear dispute. All agree on the need to address immediate proliferation risks, including halting Iran's accumulation of 20 percent enriched uranium.

This CFR interactive Crisis Guide traces Iran's history, its evolution as an Islamic republic, and its controversial nuclear program. It also offers an expert overview of the main policy options for dealing with Iran.