The 5+1 negotiations on the new nuclear agreement with Iran resulted in an initial 20-page document [1].

The process will begin with Iran restricting its enrichment of uranium to about 5% and releasing Western prisoners, while $7 billion of its assets in South Korean banks can be unfrozen.

The second phase will include the lifting of US sanctions. Ultimately, Iran will no longer enrich uranium to more than 3.67%.

In practice, Washington will not repeal the sanctions, but will take derogation measures to be confirmed every three months.

It remains to be seen whether it will be possible for the United States to sign this new text and then withdraw its signature as easily as President Donald Trump had done, and whether Iran would then be entitled to pull out of agreement as well. In general, Washington always brings up the possibility of democratic changes in its administration as a pretext to avoid having its hands tied in the medium term.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who considers the deal to be imminent, said on 20 February 2022 that his country demanded guarantees that Iran would never possess the atomic bomb. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi traveled to Qatar on 21 February to take part in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) (photo). On the sidelines, he is expected to meet with representatives of Israel (and not Israelis).

Obviously, it is possible that the United States will negotiate bilaterally with Iran over its gas. The agreement that had been concluded with Barack Obama and revoked by Donald Trump, had been seized as an opportunity to negotiate with President Hassan Rouhani the export of Iranian gas to Europe to compete with Russian gas. This project had to be abandoned, but tensions between Moscow and Washington have put it back in the limelight.

[1] "Exclusive: Iran nuclear deal draft puts prisoners, enrichment, cash first, oil comes later - diplomats", Francois Murphy, Parisa Hafezi & John Irish, Reuters, February 17, 2022.