Question and Answer

The Iranian Stance regarding Uranium Enrichment

Question: What made Iran change its stance regarding uranium enrichment? For years it insisted that enrichment must occur in Iran and not in a foreign country. However today, after the Geneva talks, and specifically after the US-Iranian bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Geneva talks, officials have said that Iranians now agree to what they had refused previously? We hope that you clarify this matter. May Allah reward you.

Answer:

The Iranian stance regarding uranium enrichment, which had been firm for five years, was changed suddenly, without warning.  Now Iran agrees for the first time for the enrichment of uranium outside its territory, which is regarded to be a dramatic concession in the fundamental Iranian nuclear policy. The reason for this concession is the great pressure from the Europeans and Jews upon America, demanding genuine military action against Iran. In order to remove this pressure, America did nothing but to instruct Iran to yield to the pressure and accept uranium enrichment outside its territory. By doing so, America easily diffused the European and Jewish pressure.

Both the meeting of Jalili with Burns in Geneva and the simultaneous visit of Mottaki to Washington after more than thirty years, played a decisive role in changing Iran's inflexible stance. This change served to settle the Europeans into accepting this new development and resort to new rounds of negotiations with Iran for years to come, abandoning the threat of war or overtures from them. Thus by forcing their hands, Europeans have lost a most important card against Iran and the American policy there.

Accordingly, by Iran suddenly making this concession, America managed to disarm the weapon which Europeans had been using to bitterly compete with the Americans in the Middle East.