Regarding the possible prospect of resuming Iran and US talks, Nader Entessar, professor emeritus of political science from the University of South Alabama in an interview with TABNAK which the full text of ot appears bellow said that the United States says the United States wants zero enrichment from Iran and then wants to enter into talks with Iran to reduce its defense capabilities.
Following the Gaza ceasefire, Donald Trump praised Iran, stating that Iran wants to participate in peace and that the US is ready to cooperate with Iran. Meanwhile, an Axios reporter announced that Iran has been invited by the US to the Gaza peace conference in Egypt. What is your assessment of this situation?
Donald Trump's statements on Iran should not be taken at face value. He tends to make spur-of-the-moment statements about many things that may or may not be true. However, despite denials from Iranian officials, the U.S. and Iran have been in touch with each other and have been sending signals to each other on several occasions. I don't place much credence in the Axios report about the US extending an invitation to Iran to attend the Gaza peace conference in Egypt. It sounds far-fetched.
Some argue that Iran's cooperation in the Gaza ceasefire and, according to some news sources, persuading its proxy forces to accept this truce could pave the way for extending this dynamic to the nuclear issue and initiating dialogue between Iran and the US. Do you agree with this assessment?
No, I don't. This doesn't jibe with the reality of the situation on the ground. Iran's influence on Hamas's decision is minimal. Also, Iran has minimal, if any, leverage to initiate a serious dialogue with the U.S. about its nuclear issue. The U.S. demand for Iran to dismantle its remaining nuclear industry is clear. The U.S. wants zero enrichment from Iran, and then engage Iran to discuss downgrading its defensive capabilities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Benjamin Netanyahu, in their conversation, stated he has no intention of escalating tensions with Iran and prefers to resolve issues with Iran peacefully. Iran has confirmed this conversation but raised the possibility that it might be a deception. In your opinion, why has Israel made such a statement, and is it genuinely seeking to reduce tensions with Iran?
No. Netanyahu thrives on escalating tensions with Iran. What Netanyahu is preparing is the next round of attacks on Iran, and he is hoping that Iran can be deceived into believing that Israel is not planning its next military attack on Iran.
What are the essential prerequisites for initiating negotiations between Iran and the United States?
The U.S. believes that Iran no longer holds the leverage it once had in previous negotiations. Many reliable accounts indicate that Iran has offered to accept nuclear enrichment at 1% or even below that, which is really zero enrichment. But the U.S. insists on Iran's publicly stated acceptance of the zero enrichment benchmark as the first step towards initiating negotiations between the two sides on other issues, including weakening Iran's defensive capabilities. These negotiations, if they proceed, will be akin to a zero-sum game.
