{"id":309132,"date":"2025-05-23T06:40:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T06:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=309132"},"modified":"2025-05-24T05:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T05:19:09","slug":"no-enrichment-means-no-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=309132","title":{"rendered":"\u2018No Enrichment Means No Deal”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Whitney \u2013 The Unz Review May 20, 2025<\/strong><\/h1>\n

We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability,<\/strong>\u201d Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy, ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDemanding zero uranium enrichment means NO DEAL\u201d<\/strong>, Sayed Abbas Araghchi, Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister<\/p>\n

You could have spotted this from a mile away.<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2014who sabotaged the most stringent and comprehensive nuclear agreement in history (The JCPOA<\/a>)\u2014ordered his special envoy to make a surprise announcement that crosses all of Iran\u2019s \u201cred lines\u201d and makes war between the US and Iran inevitable<\/strong>. Anyone with half a brain could see that this was the strategy from the very beginning. Just as Washington encouraged Kiev to intensify its bombardment of the Donbas forcing Putin to send Russian forces into Ukraine<\/a>, so too, Washington lured Tehran into nuclear \u201ctalks\u201d with the clear intention of creating a pretext for launching a war on Iran.<\/strong> In both cases, US war-planners \u2018moved heaven and earth\u2019 to make it look like the opposite party provoked the conflict when, in fact, Washington was the primary instigator. Let me explain:<\/p>\n

On Sunday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the following on ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week\u201d<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Full Stop. Witkoff\u2019s comments require thorough and unbiased analysis, mainly because they are designed with one purpose in mind: To sabotage the nuclear talks.<\/strong> There\u2019s no other explanation. The Trump administration and anyone who has followed this issue over the last decade and a half knows that Iran\u2019s biggest and brightest red line is enrichment<\/strong>. In the four meetings that have been conducted in Oman since April, US negotiators were told explicitly that nuclear enrichment was \u201cnon-negotiable\u201d and \u2018off the table\u2019<\/strong>. In other words, they agreed that the issue would not be discussed or even brought up. (Non-negotiable means non-negotiable.) So, we must assume that the reason Witkoff decided to make this unexpected announcement was either because he wanted to torpedo the negotiations or because he doesn\u2019t understand plain English. Which is it?<\/p>\n

We think Witkoff understands plain English, in fact, we\u2019re sure of it. So, what was his motive; why did he decide to deliver this bombshell on national TV to an American audience instead of Iranian negotiators<\/strong> who would have challenged him on the issue? Why?<\/p>\n

There can only be one reason; he wants to sabotage the talks. He wants to force the Iranians to terminate the meetings so it appears that they do not sincerely seek peace. That is how Trump and Co. intend to turn-the-tables and make it look like Iran is the \u201cbad guy.\u201d<\/strong> More importantly, any suspension of the talks by Iran will be used as a justification for US-Israeli air strikes on targets in Iran<\/strong>. Trump has already threatened that\u2014if the talks broke down\u2014he would unleash holy hell on Iran. Witkoff has now laid the groundwork for those attacks.<\/p>\n

Other analysts are starting to figure out what is going on behind the smokescreen of the nuclear talks. Here\u2019s how Michael Tracey summed it up:<\/p>\n

If anyone suspected that the purpose of this \u201cnegotiating\u201d exercise was to set up an impossible endpoint (humiliating Iranian capitulation) and then when Iran balks, use that as a pretext to bomb Iran (\u201cWe tried to negotiate first!\u201d) there is growing evidence for your suspicions<\/p>\n

He\u2019s right, isn\u2019t he? The talks were a \u201cset up\u201d that was concocted to create a justification for war. <\/strong>It\u2019s clear as day. Much of the public\u2019s confusion on this matter is attributable to Witkoff himself, who seems like an affable and credible fellow, whose position on nuclear enrichment is identical to rabid \u2018foam-at-the-mouth\u2019 warmongers like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo. Think about that for a minute; Witkoff\u2019s position is the same as Bolton\u2019s and Pompeo\u2019s. There\u2019s no difference.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, why is nuclear enrichment such a big deal that Iran won\u2019t even discuss it?<\/p>\n

Because Iranians have great pride and they will not allow themselves to be treated like second-class citizens by the likes of the US and Israel. That\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Look: Iran\u2019s right to nuclear enrichment is not a privilege granted by executive fiat or presidential edict. It\u2019s a fundamental right that is enshrined in international law under the terms of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.<\/strong> President Donald Trump does not have the authority to forbid Iran from engaging in activities that are not only perfectly legal under NPT statutes but also affirmed under the treaty\u2019s \u201cinalienable right\u201d clause. Inquisitive people might want to read the section of the treaty itself to corroborate what we are saying here:<\/p>\n

NPT Article IV and the Right to Nuclear Technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Article IV Text (on the Right to Nuclear Technology):<\/p>\n

Paragraph 1: \u201cNothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination<\/strong> and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paragraph 2: E ncourages cooperation in sharing nuclear technology for peaceful uses,<\/strong> particularly for developing countries.<\/p>\n

What part of the above statement is ambiguous?<\/p>\n

There is nothing ambiguous about this statement. Iran clearly has \u201cthe inalienable right\u2026 to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination.\u201d That means that neither Trump nor anyone else can selectively order Iran to stop doing what is clearly permitted under an internationally recognized treaty. <\/strong><\/p>\n

And we should also pay special attention to the language that is used in the passage. The treaty does not simply refer to the \u201crights\u201d of the participating parties; they refer to \u201cinalienable right\u201d which means that nuclear enrichment is a \u201cfundamental, natural right that cannot be taken away or surrendered, either by a government or individual.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wording was formulated to avoid the situation we have today in which an impulsive and domineering despot arbitrarily repeals the laws (and rights) that don\u2019t align with his own dubious political objectives. By refusing to comply with Trump\u2019s executive edict, Iran is basically defending the global system upon which international law rests<\/strong>. It is a rejection of Trump\u2019s iron-fisted unilateralism. We should all be grateful for Iran\u2019s gutsy perseverance.<\/p>\n

By the way, just to underscore Witkoff\u2019s hypocrisy on this matter, here is a short video on Fox News<\/em> of Witkoff stating unequivocally that Iran would be permitted to enrich at 3.67% which is a position he now rejects. The interview was conducted in April, a month before he banned all enrichment activities.<\/p>\n

\n
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Witkoff confirms to Fox: Trump is seeking to limit Iran’s enrichment to 3.67% – just as the JCPOA did.<\/p>\n

Israel wanted Trump to blow up Iran’s nuclear program (which would lead to war). Trump said no.<\/p>\n

Trump correctly put US interests ahead of Israel’s on this issue. pic.twitter.com\/9auNJFMDWl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Trita Parsi (@tparsi) April 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n