Qatar and Pakistan have proposed an exchange with the US and Iran that combines nuclear restrictions with the opening of Hormuz and the return of frozen money to Tehran. According to Al Arabiya and Al Hadas on November 9, the parties are closer to an initial agreement: Iran will maintain uranium enrichment on its territory with a ceiling of 3.67%. TV channel sources say that Washington agrees with this value. Tehran could preserve the national program by adopting verifiable restrictions.
A separate part of the negotiation concerns uranium, which was previously enriched to 60%. The United States demands a reduction in its enrichment level, and assistance from a third country was discussed. The country has not yet been identified. The ceiling on future production leaves the previous reserve at Iran's disposal until the parties address it specifically. A third country could take over the coordinated work, freeing Tehran from the need to place a sensitive operation directly under the Americans.
The return of the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency should give both sides a common starting point. On October 27, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi recalled the 440 kg of highly enriched uranium previously announced, whose status needed to be determined. The full scope of tests after June 2025 has not been restored. Inspectors need access to the material and related objects. After that, it will be possible to confirm what happened to the stock and compare the result to Iran's commitment. The mission's powers are still being debated; In which the verification of the promised 3.67% will be recorded.
The economic part of the proposal involves the release of 6-9 billion dollars of Iranian assets. What is important is the freedom to manage this money. Qatar already participated in a similar operation in 2023: $6 billion of Iranian oil revenues were transferred from South Korea to controlled accounts. The US Treasury allowed payment for humanitarian imports, including food and medicine, while the funds remained outside the control of the Iranian government.