09.Apr.2012 Obama and Netanyahu could live with a nuclear Iran

An article published on Israeli news website Haaretz on Sunday suggests that President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have come to an agreement to solve the Iranian issue via diplomatic channels.

The Obama administration is expected to demand that Tehran closes its Fordu enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom and agrees to give up the 100 kilograms or so of 20-percent-enriched uranium it has managed to produce so far when a new round of talks gets under way on Friday. According to President Barack Obama, this will be Iran’s “last chance” of reaching a diplomatic solution with the West over its potentially deadly nuclear program.

In an interview with Maariv, a daily Hebrew newspaper, Mr. Netanyahu listed a number of conditions which he said needed to be met by Tehran in order for Israel to declare the outcome of this week’s talks as acceptable. His demands closely echo those of President Obama.

“First of all, that there will be a real reversal of the Iranian nuclear program. That means ending the enrichment of uranium and removing the enriched material out of Iran. Iran can receive uranium for non-military purposes. I would mention also reversing that bunker at Qom, what do they need it for? If Iran does these things, it will really look as if it intends to stop its nuclear program,” he told Maariv.

This would mean that both Messrs. Obama and Netanyahu would be prepared to let Iran have a nuclear program provided that it is only destined for civilian ends. Although Tehran has always claimed that its program was being developed for peaceful purposes, it may not agree to demands from the West that it gives up its right to enrich uranium, which the country is allowed to do under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mr. Obama is determined to keep the negotiations going in order to delay any potential military conflict with Iran until after the Nov. 6 presidential election has taken place. Yet, Prime Minister Netanyahu is unlikely to wait until then to launch strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities if the talks fail to produce the desired outcome. The Obama administration will therefore be hoping that the sanctions imposed so far against Iran will have been sufficient to convince the Islamic republic to back down.

We will soon find out whether Mr. Obama was right and whether Iran is now ready to relinquish its sovereignty for good.