U.S. Officials Cold-Shoulder Iranian Offer of Nuclear Talks

Latest Developments

Citing Iran’s “nuclear escalations,” the White House signaled on August 27 that it was unlikely to revive the defunct 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, despite its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, indicating on Tuesday that he was willing to pursue nuclear talks. The U.S. response diverged from the Biden administration’s earlier efforts to strike a deal, reportedly offering generous terms that Iran ultimately rejected. During Biden’s term in office, Iran has dramatically expanded its stockpiles of enriched uranium, while reportedly carrying out activities relevant to constructing a nuclear device and obstructing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections and investigations.

“We will judge Iran’s leadership by their actions, not their words. If Iran wants to demonstrate seriousness or a new approach, they should stop nuclear escalations and start meaningfully cooperating with the IAEA,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We are far from anything like that right now.”

During a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on August 27, Khamenei said that there was “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy,” at the same time cautioning, “do not place your hopes in them.”

Expert Analysis

“The question I have for the administration is this: If you are sincere about leaving the JCPOA in the past, why are you refusing to snap back UN sanctions to end the deal, why haven’t you referred Iran’s nuclear file to the Security Council, and why are you letting Iran sell massive amounts of oil to China?” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“Khamenei’s comments reflect a continuation of Iran’s strategy of dangling talks alongside its nuclear extortion to evade Western sanctions pressure, progress the nuclear program, and threaten Israel, America, and regional partners. The regime most fears a return to the maximum pressure campaign of the previous Trump administration, which would spell an end to the influx of revenue Tehran has reaped during Biden’s failure to enforce sanctions.” — Andrea Stricker, FDD Research Fellow and Deputy Director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program

Iran Increased Stockpiles While Blocking Inspectors’ Access

Iran continues to enrich uranium to 60 percent purity, putting it only days away from 90 percent, which is nuclear weapons-grade. In four months, Tehran could make enough weapons-grade uranium for 13 weapons. The Institute for Science and International Security, which closely monitors Tehran’s nuclear activities, believes Iran would require less than six months to construct nuclear devices. Ali Akbar Salehi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, has said publicly that Tehran had crossed “all thresholds of nuclear science and technology” and has all the required equipment to produce nuclear weapons. On August 18, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said that Iran could “declare itself a nuclear weapon state by the end of the year.”

Iran’s Nuclear Weaponization

Axios reported in June that the United States and Israel collected intelligence indicating that Iranian scientists at civilian research institutes were carrying out nuclear “weaponization” work — the process of fabricating an atomic device that integrates weapons-grade fuel with specialized components, explosives, and a triggering mechanism. The work reportedly involved limited computer modeling and metallurgy experiments that could hasten Iran’s production of nuclear weapons. In July, Axios reported that Washington utilized diplomatic back channels to warn Iran about the weaponization work and demand clarifications, and was satisfied by those communications.

“Iran Could Declare Itself Nuclear Weapons State by Year’s End, Top U.S. Lawmaker Says,” FDD Flash Brief

“U.S. Intelligence Assessment Drops Claim That Iran ‘Not Currently Undertaking’ Nuclear Weapons Development,” FDD Flash Brief

“Washington Fails — Again — to Gauge Iran’s Nuclear Threat,” by Andrea Stricker and Behnam Ben Taleblu

“10 Things to Know About Iran’s Nuclear Program,” FDD Insight