The Saudi newspaper Al Arabiya is reporting that the United States and Iran have reached understandings on a deal that, if finalized, would raise significant concerns in Israel. According to the report, the emerging agreement would permit Iran to continue enriching uranium in a framework similar to the 2015 Obama-era nuclear accord.
The Saudi outlet cites a senior source familiar with details of the talks, which are being mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. According to this source, the deal taking shape places no restrictions on Iranian military activity and allows uranium enrichment up to 3.67%, the same threshold set in the JCPOA agreement signed between Iran and the Obama administration in 2015, from which Trump withdrew during his first term.
Under the reported terms, Iran would return to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), mirroring the original agreement's monitoring framework. In exchange for these commitments, Iran has agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
For its part, the United States would lift sanctions on Iran, withdraw its naval forces from the Persian Gulf, and unfreeze Iranian regime funds currently held abroad.
