JCPOA Talks Unclear As UN Watchdog Warns Of Iran Enrichment

Iranian journalists are reporting that a JCPOA draft text is ready - the only outstanding issue is safeguards agreement between Iran and the IAEA.

• Although a deal has looked close for weeks, the war in Ukraine is dampening domestic political will in the US to enter into a deal brokered by Russian diplomats.
• A source close to the negotiations said: 'What’s happening in Vienna is a total disaster. The entire negotiations have been filtered and “essentially run” by Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov'.
• French diplomatic Philippe Errera earlier posted a photo on twitter thanking his team for their work on the talks. Some have taken this as an indication that talks may be reaching a conclusion.
• Reuters has reported, citing a senior diplomat, that 'Iran's stock of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade is roughly three-quarters of the amount needed, if enriched further, for a single nuclear weapon according to a widely used definition'.
• A report by the UN nuclear watchdog claims that Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity currently stands at 33.2 kg. Analysts believe that 25 kg of uranium enriched to 90% are required for a nuclear bomb.