US Considering $20 Billion Dollar Deal with Iran That Would End the War: Report
A new report said that one proposal to end the war with Iran would involve releasing $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for its stock of enriched uranium.
The report came from Axios, which framed the concept as part of multiple pieces of a proposed deal and cited sources it did not name.
The report noted that a Sunday negotiating session in Islamabad, Pakistan, is likely.
The Axios report said the $20 billion plan meets the U.S. need to ensure Iran will not use its stock of enriched uranium while also meeting Iran’s need for cash to meet internal needs.
Iran has about 2,000 kg of enriched uranium, including about 450 kg enriched to 60 percent purity. The uranium is buried underground after U.S. attacks last year.
Axios said that bargaining began when the U.S. offered to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets, while Iran wanted $27 billion.
A U.S. official called the plan “one of many discussions.”
One catch — the U.S. wanted Iran to hand over all nuclear material to be held in the U.S. But Iran wants to keep it inside its borders, while reducing its purity.
A compromise that would put the uranium in a third country is being discussed, Axios reported.
A “voluntary” moratorium on Iranian nuclear enrichment is in the current version of a deal, Axios reported, but the term of that moratorium remains undefined.
Iran wants to keep its nuclear research alive for purported medical purposes.
“Iran has moved. But not far enough. What it takes to make them move forward, we will see,” Axios quoted one U.S. official as saying.
“Iran clearly wants the $20 billion — and a lot more. They clearly want to sell oil at free-market rates without sanctions. They want to participate in the global financial system. But they also want to have this nuclear weapons program. They want to fund terrorists like Hamas. And they don’t want to give that up enough to get the things we’re offering,” the official said.
White House representative Anna Kelly said talks were “productive” but also said, “Anonymous sources who claim to know about sensitive diplomatic discussions have no idea what they are talking about.”
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said, “It’s very important that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that,” according to the New York Post.
“Iran’s agreed to that, and they’ve agreed to it very powerfully.”
Trump also said Iran “agreed to give us back the nuclear dust that’s way underground because of the attack we made with the B-2 bombers,” referring to last year’s bombing raid in June.
Later on Thursday, Trump said the war “should be ending pretty soon,” according to The Times of Israel.
He called the war a “little diversion” that was necessary “because otherwise, bad things could happen, the really bad thing.”
Trump said he could go to Pakistan if a deal is concluded.
“If a deal is signed in Islamabad, I may go,” Trump said. “They want me.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
