On May 31, U.S. negotiators reportedly presented Iran with a proposal for a regional “uranium enrichment consortium,” which authorities in Tehran have said they will seek more clarity on before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations scheduled for this weekend. It is no surprise that this idea is being contemplated now. Whenever talks begin to stall over Iran’s enrichment program, eyes tend to drift to consortium concepts as a way out of the impasse, based on the notion that adding an international dimension to the Iranian nuclear program will give everyone a bit of what they want. Yet such concepts have generally failed to get traction to date, and although a mutually satisfactory consortium may yet be structured as part of the current talks, the obstacles are legion.
An “Enrichment Consortium” Is No Panacea for the Iran Nuclear Dilemma | The Washington Institute
