A senior White House official stated on Friday that the proposed agreement with Iran meets the core objectives set by the US President and could be signed in the coming days, despite internal Iranian differences.
Key Elements of the Deal
The official explained that the deal would accomplish several critical goals. First, it would reopen the straits and lift the blockade. Second, it would lead to the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program. Third, the United States would obtain the enriched material, which would be destroyed on site and then removed from the country.
“What the deal does is actually quite simple. It accomplishes the core objectives that the President of the United States set out for this mission, and gets us in a very, very good place at the end of it,” the official said.
Regional Peace and Inspection Regime
The official emphasized that the agreement guarantees long-term peace in the region. This would mean that Iran would no longer fund violence in the region, and all parties would respect Iran’s territorial sovereignty. Additionally, an inspection regime would ensure the deal is enforceable over the long term.
“It guarantees a long-term peace in the region, and that would mean, of course, that the Iranians are no longer funding violence in the region, but it would also mean that everyone is respecting the territorial sovereignty of Iran, and then finally it has an inspection regime that makes sure that this is a long-term commitment and that it's a long-term enforceable,” the official added.
Addressing Iranian Propaganda
The official warned against relying on Iranian state-affiliated media, noting that hardliners in Iran would try to message the deal to their internal audiences in a way that maximizes their own advantage. The US expects domestic propaganda from Tehran but urged caution in interpreting such narratives.
“They're trying to sell the deal to their internal population. We expected that would happen, but there're also going to be a lot of inaccuracies built into that propaganda,” the official said.
Likelihood of Signing
Negotiations are progressing toward a signing within days, with the official estimating an 80-85 percent likelihood of conclusion. However, the process is not yet final.
“I can't give you an exact date, and if I were to give you a confidence that we were going to be signing this agreement, I maybe would have said 75% this morning. It's probably more like 80, 85 per cent now, but it's not 100 per cent. Their system is very complicated,” the senior official said.
No Upfront Financial Gains for Iran
The official rejected reports that Iran would receive upfront payments upon signing the memorandum of understanding. Claims of $12 billion, $1 billion, or $6 billion being paid immediately are false. Instead, Iran would be rewarded economically only for complying with its obligations under the deal.
“What they get is that they get rewarded economically for complying with their obligations under the deal, so if they turn over the nuclear material as promised, they'll get something. If they dismantle their nuclear programs or their nuclear facilities, they'll get something else. If they really commit to regional peace and stability, they'll get additional things on top of that,” an official added.
Internal Divisions in Iran
While most Iranian stakeholders appear supportive of the agreement, internal divisions are still being resolved before a final decision is made. The official noted that most people with authority within the Iranian system want to sign the deal, but not everyone agrees.
“Those internal fractures are sort of working themselves out as they continue to try to get to a point where they can say yes to the deal,” the official said.
This report is sourced from a syndicated feed and published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.
