ALBAWABA - According to reports, Iran is trying to reach a new agreement with the United States about its nuclear program and avoid a possible military escalation by giving big financial incentives to U.S. companies.
The Financial Times says that Tehran has talked about the possibility of letting American companies invest in its huge oil and gas supplies, as well as its mining and important mineral industries. A person who knows what's being talked about said that the plan was a "huge commercial opportunity." This suggests that the idea is meant to directly appeal to President Trump's desire for business-driven diplomacy.
The latest round of talks between Iranian and U.S. diplomats is happening in Geneva. The goal is to end a long-running disagreement about Tehran's nuclear activities. Western countries and Israel say that Iran's program is meant to make nuclear weapons, but Tehran strongly rejects this.
According to sources mentioned in the report, the economic plan was made with Trump in mind and focused on the big money-making opportunities in the energy, natural resources, and infrastructure sectors. There have apparently been talks about the U.S. joining Iran's oil and gas industry, but Washington has not yet been given a formal offer.
Reports say that Iranian officials are looking at examples from the past, like Venezuela, where U.S. companies got oil deals after the Trump administration used diplomacy.
A U.S. official who did not want to be named told the newspaper that there has been no official business plan yet.
The diplomatic effort comes at a time when tensions are high. Trump recently told Tehran that it has 15 days to come to an agreement or face results. At the same time, he made it clear that he would rather negotiate a solution than use force.
Hamid Ghanbari, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, said earlier this month that any future deal must bring real economic benefits to the US in order to last. He said that areas with quick and high returns, like mines, energy, building cities, and even buying planes, could be a part of a bigger deal.
As the talks go on, it looks like both sides are weighing the economic benefits against the growing political and strategic strains.
