Iran poised to reject US nuclear proposal, Reuters reports

Tehran views the US nuclear offer as “not even a starting point” and believes the proposal is an attempt to impose a “bad deal” on Iran through excessive demands.

A senior diplomat close to Iran’s negotiating team, speaking to Reuters, said, “Iran is preparing to respond negatively to the US offer, which can be interpreted as a rejection.”

The US nuclear offer was conveyed to Iran by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who made a brief visit to Tehran on Saturday and is mediating nuclear talks between Iran and Washington.

However, despite five rounds of talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, many issues aimed at resolving the nuclear deadlock remain unresolved.

One of the biggest disagreements between the parties is the US demand that Tehran completely stop uranium enrichment.

Tehran states it wants to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied Western accusations that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

The diplomat speaking to Reuters said, “In this offer, the US position on uranium enrichment on Iranian soil has not changed, and there is no clear statement regarding the lifting of sanctions.”

Tehran demands the immediate lifting of all US sanctions that are crippling its oil-based economy. However, the US advocates for a phased lifting of nuclear-related sanctions.

According to Washington, dozens of Iranian institutions, including the central bank and the national oil company, which are vital to Iran’s economy, have been under sanctions since 2018.

The “maximum pressure” campaign relaunched by Trump against Tehran since his return to the White House in January includes tightening sanctions and the threat of direct attack on Iran if current negotiations fail.

During his first presidential term, Trump withdrew in 2018 from the 2015 nuclear deal Iran made with six major powers and reimposed sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy. In response, Tehran began to rapidly violate the restrictions on its nuclear program under the 2015 nuclear deal.

The 2015 agreement stipulated that Iran would be exempt from US, EU, and UN economic sanctions in exchange for taking steps to limit its nuclear program.

The diplomat stated that according to the assessment of the “nuclear negotiation committee,” under the supervision of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US offer was “completely unilateral” and concluded that it would not serve Tehran’s interests.

Therefore, according to the diplomat, Tehran views this offer as “not even a starting point” and believes the proposal is an attempt to unilaterally impose a “bad deal” on Iran through excessive demands.

Last week, two Iranian officials told Reuters that if the US released frozen Iranian funds and recognized Tehran’s right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, Iran might pause uranium enrichment, which could be a “political compromise” paving the way for a broader nuclear deal.