Two western diplomats have reported that Iran and the U.S. are discussing a new proposal that will allow Iran to retain tis uranium-enrichment technology but reduce its ability to build nuclear weapons.
The Associated Press reports that two diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity told it that the new proposal will allow Iran to have 10,000 active centrifuges but the centrifuges will have to be designed to produce a lower amount of enriched uranium.
Such an agreement could put an end to a decade-long impasse in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the 5+1.
The proposal also calls for a commitment from Iran to frequently send its enriched uranium out of the country to reduce the potential for building a nuclear bomb.
Iran had already proposed last year that it would reduce the production capacity of the centrifuges in exchange for having more centrifuges. That proposal did not win overall agreement at the time.
The parties are under pressure to reach an agreement as the final deadline of July 1 draws near.
The U.S. Congress is looking at imposing new sanctions on Iran, while the Iranian Parliament has charged the negotiating team to cancel agreements reached so far and bring all centrifuges to full capacity.
The level of enrichment and the timeline of lifting the international sanctions remain the chief topics of discussion in the nuclear negotiations.
