What do 'expert level' talks signal for the progress of the Iran-US
nuclear negotiations?
[April 22, 2025]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Negotiations between Iran and the
United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program will move
Wednesday to what's known as the “expert level” — a sign analysts say
shows that the talks are moving forward rapidly.
However, experts not involved in the talks who spoke with The Associated
Press warn that this doesn't necessarily signal a deal is imminent.
Instead, it means that the talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff haven't broken down at
what likely is the top-level trade — Tehran limiting its atomic program
in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
“Agreeing to technical talks suggests both sides are expressing
pragmatic, realistic objectives for the negotiations and want to explore
the details,” said Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation
policy at the Arms Control Association who long has studied Iran's
nuclear program.
“If Witkoff was making maximalist demands during his talks with Araghchi,
such as dismantlement of the enrichment program, Iran would have no
incentive to meet at the technical level.”
That technical level, however, remains filled with possible landmines.
Just how much enrichment by Iran would be comfortable for the United
States? What about Tehran's ballistic missile program, which U.S.
President Donald Trump first cited in pulling America unilaterally out
of the accord in 2018? Which sanctions could be lifted and which would
be remain in place on the Islamic Republic?
“The most important determinant of expert talks’ value lies in whether
there is a political commitment to do something and experts just need to
figure out what," said Richard Nephew, an adjunct fellow at the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy who worked on Iran sanctions
while at the U.S. State Department during negotiations over what became
the 2015 nuclear deal.
"If the experts also have to discuss big concepts, without political
agreement, it can just result in spun wheels.”
Experts and the 2015 nuclear deal
The 2015 nuclear deal saw senior experts involved in both sides of the
deal. For the U.S. under President Barack Obama, Energy Secretary Ernest
Moniz reached an understanding working with Ali Akbar Salehi, then the
leader of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Both men's technical
background proved key to nailing down the specifics of the deal.
Under the 2015 agreement, Iran agreed to enrich uranium only to 3.67%
purity and keep a stockpile of only 300 kilograms (661 pounds). Today,
Iran enriches some uranium up to 60% purity — a short, technical step
away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The last report by the
International Atomic Energy Agency put Iran's overall uranium stockpile
in February at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds).
The deal also limited the types of centrifuges Iran could spin, further
slowing Tehran's ability to rush for a bomb, if it chose to do so. It
also set out the provisions of how and when sanctions would be lifted,
as well as time limits for the accord itself.
Reaching limits, relief and timelines require the knowledge of experts,
analysts say.
“A nonproliferation agreement is meaningless if it cannot be effectively
implemented and verified,” Davenport said. “The United States needs a
strong technical team to negotiate the detailed restrictions and
intrusive monitoring that will be necessary to ensure any move by Iran
toward nuclear weapons is quickly detected and there is sufficient time
to respond.”
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U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Head of the Iranian Atomic
Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, left, meet at an hotel in
Vienna, July 9, 2015. (Carlos Barria/Pool Photo via AP, File)
It remains unclear who the two sides will be sending for those
negotiations.
Hiccups already heard in these negotiations
Both the Americans and the Iranians have been tightlipped over
exactly what's been discussed so far, though both sides have
expressed optimism about the pace. However, there has been one
noticeable dispute stemming from comments Witkoff made in a
television interview, suggesting Tehran could be able to enrich up
to 3.67% purity. However, analysts noted that was the level set by
the 2015 deal under Obama.
Witkoff hours later issued a statement suggesting that comparison
struck a nerve: “A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a
Trump deal.”
“Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and
weaponization program,” Witkoff added.
Araghchi responded by warning that Iran must be able to enrich.
"The core issue of enrichment itself is not negotiable,” he said.
Despite that, experts who spoke to the AP said they remained
positive about the talks' trajectory so far.
“Although still early stages, I’m encouraged so far,” said Alan
Eyre, a former U.S. diplomat once involved in past nuclear
negotiations with Tehran. “The pace of negotiations — to include
starting expert level meetings this Wednesday — is good.”
He added that so far, there didn't appear to be any “mutually
exclusive red lines” for the talks as well — signaling there likely
wasn't immediately any roadblocks to reaching a deal.
Nephew similarly described reaching the expert level as a “positive
sign.” However, he cautioned that the hard work potentially was just
beginning for the negotiations.
“They imply the need to get into real details, to discuss concepts
that senior (officials) might not understand and to answer
questions. I also think too much can be read into them starting,”
Nephew said. “Expert talks can sometimes be a fudge for seniors to
avoid working on tough issues — ‘let’s have experts discuss it while
we move on to other things’ — or to sidestep big political
decisions."
Corey Hinderstein, the vice president for studies at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace and a former U.S. government
nuclear expert, described herself as feeling “cautious optimism”
over the expert talks beginning.
“Heads of delegation are responsible for setting strategic goals and
defining success,” she said. “But if there is a deal to be made, the
technical experts are the ones who will get it done.”
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