A document obtained by this newsroom lays bare the full scope of the secret US-Iran agreement, a deal that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles. Sources confirm the 47-page pact, signed last week in a secure location outside Vienna, trades a lifting of all nuclear-related sanctions for a phased reduction of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms by May 2026. But the devil, as always, is in the detail.
Uncovered documents reveal a clause that permits Iran to continue enrichment at the Fordow facility for civilian purposes. Critics charge this is a loophole that could allow Tehran to sprint towards a bomb once the agreement's snapback mechanisms expire in 2030. The administration insists inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will have unrestricted access. But we have seen this movie before.
The deal also includes a side agreement on ballistic missiles, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Iran commits to a three-year freeze on testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. In exchange, Washington will unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets held in South Korean banks. That cash, critics warn, will flow straight to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies in Yemen and Syria.
Global powers are scrambling. European allies, briefed but not included in the final text, are furious. A senior French diplomat called the bilateral nature of the agreement a 'blatant bypass of the multilateral process'. Russia and China, watching from the sidelines, have already moved to secure their own trade deals with Tehran.
The timing is catastrophic. Iran's supreme leader, in a recorded address last night, denounced the deal as a 'poisoned chalice', while hardliners in Washington have promised a legislative assault to block its implementation. The White House is betting that economic relief will moderate Iran's behaviour. But I have followed the money for two decades. It never works out that way.
What remains hidden is the true cost. A separate confidential appendix, seen by this newsroom, outlines a $1.2 billion humanitarian channel that, in practice, could be used to purchase dual-use technology. The term 'dual-use' is a euphemism for weaponry.
This is not a peace deal. It is a pause. And pauses, in this region, are merely opportunities to reload.
