Iran prepares to deliver own nuclear proposal to United States

TEHRAN: On Monday, Iran announced that it will soon present a counter-proposal on a nuclear deal to the United States, after describing Washington’s offer as containing “ambiguities.”

Since April, Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks to negotiate a new nuclear accord to replace the deal that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.

The sides remain locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a “non-negotiable” right while Washington describes it as a “red line.”

After the fifth round of talks on May 31, Iran said it received “elements” of a US proposal, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said the text contained “ambiguities.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticised the US proposal for “lacking elements” reflective of previous negotiation rounds, without giving further details.

He said, “We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through (mediator) Oman once we finalise it,” during a weekly press briefing.

“It is a proposal that is reasonable, logical, and balanced, and we strongly recommend that the American side value this opportunity.”

Iran’s parliament speaker said the US proposal failed to include the lifting of sanctions — a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.

Strategic mistake:

On Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the US offer as “100 percent against” notions of independence and self-reliance. He insisted that uranium enrichment “keys” Iran’s nuclear programme and declared that the US “cannot have a say” on the issue.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, exceeding the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and approaching, though still short of, the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists that it pursues its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog will hold a Board of Governors meeting in Vienna from June 9-13 to discuss Iran’s nuclear activities.

The International Atomic Energy Agency released a report criticizing Tehran for “less than satisfactory” cooperation, especially in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran criticized the IAEA report as unbalanced and accused it of relying on “forged documents” provided by Israel.

Britain, France, and Germany, the three European countries party to the 2015 deal, are currently weighing whether to trigger the sanctions “snapback” mechanism in the accord. This mechanism would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance — an option that expires in October.

On Friday, Araghchi warned European powers against backing a draft resolution at the IAEA accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a “strategic mistake.” On Monday, Baqaei said Iran has “prepared and formulated a series of steps and measures” to take if the resolution passes.

“Without a doubt, the response to confrontation will not be more cooperation,” he added.