To: Les H who wrote (51449 ) 2/7/2026 3:37:02 PM From: Les H Read Replies (1) | Respond to Iran Enters Talks Under Military Pressure, but Major Gaps With Washington RemainDespite significant gaps in preconditions ahead of Friday's talks, Iran has agreed to negotiate with the U.S., understanding that if Tehran wants sanctions lifted, it will have to discuss the broader issues of its nuclear program, ballistic missiles and regional proxies Zvi Bar'el , HaaretzIf an agreement is indeed reached and talks will be held in Oman, two central issues are expected to be at the heart of the meeting. The first is lowering the level of the U.S. military threats against Iran. The second issue is reaching an understanding that the talks will focus solely on the nuclear issue, and on no other matter. These two issues have become Iran's declared fundamental preconditions for agreeing to engage in talks. Iran's leaders have made it clear: "We will not negotiate under threat," and the issue of ballistic missiles will not be up for any sort of discussion. The gap between the positions of the United States and Iran appears, on the face of it, to be too wide to be bridged, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the negotiations must also address the ballistic missile issue and Iran's ties with its proxies and regional terrorist organizations. However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that, despite its declarations, Tehran has nonetheless agreed to negotiate under a very significant military threat, and that if it wants the sanctions imposed on it to be lifted as a result of these negotiations, it will also have to discuss the other issues the United States seeks to put on the table. A formula for bridging these gaps may be found in an agreement on a mechanism for managing the negotiations, structured as a "step-by-step" process proposed by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. This framework was also accepted by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, and possibly by Iran as well. Such a structure would mean setting clearly defined, time-bound milestones at each of which Iran would be required to implement a measure agreed upon in advance. For example, Iran would be required to immediately hand over its stockpile of uranium that has been enriched to 60 percent to a third country. Russia has already offered its "hosting services" for this uranium stockpile, and a Turkish source told Haaretz this week that Turkey may also offer similar services. In the second stage, Iran would be required to allow the return of all inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In the third stage, Iran would be required to dismantle what remains of its enrichment capabilities at its nuclear facilities. However, even if Iran agrees to such a phased arrangement, it would demand in return a gradual and mutually-agreed-upon lifting of U.S. sanctions, as well as the removal of the international snapback sanctions imposed on it – the mechanism for reinstating sanctions stipulated in the original nuclear deal, signed in 2015. Above all, the Iranians would demand the removal of the American threat of an attack against the country. The concern is that such a new agreement framework would grant the Iranian regime breathing room and leeway, but also dissipate the effect of the military pressure that created the opportunity for negotiations in the first place. Haaretz
