The United States offers Iran a civil nuclear programme without its own enrichment

At an official press conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran will only be allowed to have a civilian nuclear programme if it renounces uranium enrichment, allowing it to import only the necessary material.

‘If Iran wants a civilian nuclear programme, it can have one, like many other countries in the world, by importing enriched material,’ the secretary of state said. 

With this proposal, the United States seeks to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from developing nuclear weapons, amid recent tensions that have further cooled bilateral relations. Rubio explained that there is a path to a peaceful civilian nuclear programme for Iran, provided that it renounces enrichment. 

Meanwhile, Washington continues its ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, recently announced by US President Donald Trump, which does not rule out military intervention if Iran continues to develop its nuclear programme, although the White House has indicated that military intervention would be the last resort. 

‘I don't even know if Iran knows how to reach an agreement, but we want to reach a peaceful solution to this situation, not resort to any other option, not even speculate about it at this time,’ Marco Rubio said. 

These statements echo the words of Tucker Carlson, one of the most controversial US political analysts, who pointed out that military intervention in the Middle East by the United States or another Western country against Iran would lead to all-out war in the region. 

‘Any armed conflict in the region would be far more chaotic than what people are used to seeing. That is why the president is so committed to achieving a peaceful solution and preventing armed conflict,’ Marco Rubio concluded. 

In this regard, the US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, indicated that Iran does not need to enrich beyond 3.67% for civilian purposes. Witkoff clarified that ‘any form of enrichment must be completely suspended’. 

Iran, however, has repeatedly stressed that it is not willing to reduce its uranium enrichment programme, as this is a right enjoyed by all countries in the world. ‘Any suspension or attempt to do so will be unacceptable to the Iranian government,’ a senior Iranian official told Al-Arab. 

Tehran insists that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned of a significant increase in uranium enrichment to 60% purity, which would bring Iran very close to obtaining the material needed to manufacture nuclear weapons. 

In the past, Iran was able to reach an agreement with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in 2015, under which it agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. 

However, in 2018, Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the agreement and renew the sanctions imposed on Iran, which led, a few months later, to Iran's violation of the restrictions and the subsequent development of its own nuclear plan.