The UAE model prohibits the domestic production of enriched uranium needed for nuclear facilities while permitting its import.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US could allow Iran to operate civilian nuclear reactors but opposed its enrichment of its own uranium, ahead of the third round of indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran this weekend.

Appearing on a podcast program published in The Free Press, Rubio said that Iran, like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and some other countries, could import low-enriched uranium for civilian purposes.

Rubio stated, “If Iran wants a civilian nuclear program, they can do it like many other countries; that is, they import enriched uranium. If they really want this, there is a path to a peaceful, civilian nuclear program. But if they insist on enriching uranium, they would be the only country without a nuclear weapons program that enriches uranium, which creates a problem.”

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), this proposal represents a significant step back from the demand for “complete termination of the nuclear program” voiced last month by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. According to Rubio’s statements, Iran would be able to continue operating its nuclear reactors, but the path to nuclear weapons production would be blocked by the prohibition on uranium enrichment.

This proposal could also put the US at odds with Israel, which insists on the “Libya model” that envisions the complete termination of Iran’s nuclear program.

Although the US proposal grants Iran the right to a “civilian nuclear program,” it also foresees Iran becoming dependent on external sources for nuclear fuel. This could mean a political and strategic step back for Tehran.

Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected this proposal during talks in Rome, explicitly stating that they did not accept the “UAE model.” The UAE imports uranium instead of enriching it domestically to provide assurance that its nuclear program will remain civilian.

According to Seyyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian official and nuclear policy expert at Princeton University, Tehran was ready to accept importing enriched uranium in the 1980s and early 1990s if the US allowed European countries to provide the fuel, but Washington rejected this offer.

Richard Nephew, who served as a negotiator in the Obama and Biden administrations, said that similar ideas were discussed during the process leading to the 2015 agreement, but Iran always maintained its desire to produce its own fuel and did not trust imports. Nephew told the WSJ, “Joint ventures and international nuclear fuel supply issues have been discussed for decades. But the issue always comes back to the same point: Iran does not trust that the fuel will be provided to them on time.”

According to Gary Samore, head of the Middle East Studies Center at Brandeis University, it is highly unlikely that Iran will completely abandon its uranium enrichment program. In this case, he argued, the Trump administration would either have to accept limited enrichment under strict inspection mechanisms or consider the military option.

Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment rate to 3.67% until 2031. However, after the US withdrew from this agreement in 2018, encouraged by Israel, it is stated that Iran is currently enriching uranium up to 60%. Uranium used in weapons needs to be enriched to at least 90%.

Iran is currently reported to possess enough highly enriched uranium to produce at least six nuclear bombs.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned against renewed attempts to return NATO military infrastructure to Afghanistan, saying such actions could become a dangerous source of future conflict.

According to Russian media, Lavrov in a press conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan said that Western countries have launched a new format of consultations in Doha through the United Nations.

“The attempt to return the military infrastructure of NATO countries to Afghanistan under various pretexts is unacceptable, and such efforts are underway,” he added.

“We are witnessing the West actively trying to re-enter the Afghanistan game, a game it left after the Taliban returned. We have no problem with this, but the West presence should be fair and without hidden agendas,” Lavrov added.

He said that these efforts will create a new “time bomb,” and perhaps not even a “slow bomb”, he added.

He has said that Moscow is closely monitoring Western efforts to “influence Central Asia and other strategic regions.”

Lavrov furthered, “We are resolutely opposed to the politicization of cooperation and the imposition of ideological programs, especially the attempts of some Western countries to dominate this and other geopolitical spaces.”

This comes when the Taliban Foreign Ministry also said that Russia has agreed to accept Taliban’s diplomat at the ambassadorial level.

A new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, presented by Egypt and Qatar, envisions Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and the official end of the war. Hamas has indicated its readiness to hand over control.

According to a BBC report, citing a senior Palestinian official, Egypt and Qatar, who are mediating between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, have put forward a new proposal that includes a long-term ceasefire and Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza.

The report states that the proposal encompasses a ceasefire lasting five to seven years, the official termination of the war, the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, and “the exchange of all Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”

According to the Palestinian official, Hamas has expressed willingness to transfer the administration of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority or a newly established Palestinian entity. The official described Hamas as showing “unprecedented flexibility.”

The British broadcaster reported that Israel has not yet commented on this plan and that a high-level Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo for consultations. The report indicates that the delegation will include the head of the Hamas Leadership Council, Mohammed Darwish, and the organization’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya.

The Qatar-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported that an Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo on Sunday evening to discuss the new proposal presented by the mediators.

Last week, Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire offer that had been conveyed to them but stated that they were open to discussing proposals that included an end to the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also declared over the weekend that he would not end the war until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are returned.