Iran to present counter-proposal to US, Trump says talks to resume
WASHINGTON: Iran said on Monday (Jun 9) it will soon hand a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal to the United States in response to a US offer that Tehran deems "unacceptable", while US President Donald Trump said talks would continue.
Trump made clear that the two sides remained at odds over whether the country would be allowed to continue enriching uranium on Iranian soil.
"They're just asking for things that you can't do. They don't want to give up what they have to give up," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They seek enrichment. We can't have enrichment."
Earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was preparing a counter-offer to the US proposal that was presented in late May. He said there was no detail about the timing of a sixth round of talks.
While Trump said the next round of talks would take place on Thursday, a senior Iranian official and a US official said Thursday was unlikely.
Following Trump's remarks, Baghaei said "based on recent consultations, the next round of Iran–US indirect negotiations is being planned for next Sunday in Muscat", according to the ministry's Telegram channel.
The US official said the talks, led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, could be on Friday or Sunday, possibly in Oman or Oslo.
"The US proposal is not acceptable to us. It was not the result of previous rounds of negotiations. We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalised. This proposal is reasonable, logical, and balanced," Baghaei said.
"We must ensure before the lifting of sanctions that Iran will effectively benefit economically and that its banking and trade relations with other countries will return to normal."
Reuters previously reported that Tehran was drafting a negative response to the US proposal. An Iranian diplomat said the US offer failed to resolve differences over uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, the shipment abroad of Iran's entire stockpile of highly enriched uranium and reliable steps to lift US sanctions.
Last week, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the US proposal as against Iran's interests, pledging to continue enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers view as a potential pathway to building nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.
Trump said Iran was the main topic of a phone conversation he had on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu's office said the president had told him talks with Iran would continue at the end of the week.
During his first term in 2018, Trump ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond that pact's limits.
Iran says the West has turned a blind eye to Israel's nuclear programme even while pushing against Iran's. Israel neither confirms nor denies that it has nuclear weapons. Baghaei said sensitive Israeli documents, which Iran has previously promised to unveil, would demonstrate "that parties constantly questioning Iran's peaceful nuclear programme actively work to strengthen Israel's military nuclear programme".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump warns protests at military parade will be met with force
Members of the California National Guard putting on gas masks as they prepare to confront protesters in downtown Los Angeles, on June 8. PHOTO: NYTIMES Trump warns protests at military parade will be met with force WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump warned people on June 11 against protesting at the weekend military parade in Washington marking the US Army's 250th anniversary. 'For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force,' Mr Trump told reporters in the White House's Oval Office. Law enforcement agencies are preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to attend the June 14 parade, US Secret Service special agent in charge Matt McCool said on June 9. Mr McCool said thousands of agents, officers and specialists will be deployed from law enforcement agencies from across the country. The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department have said there are no credible threats to the event. At least nine permits have been issued for protests on that day, he said. In unscheduled Oval Office remarks, Mr Trump discussed his decision to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles after protests erupted in response to federal immigration raids at workplaces there. Mr Trump defended his decision to take that rare step and said troops were necessary to contain the unrest, despite objections from local and state officials that they were needed. The June 14 event, which will coincide with Mr Trump's 79th birthday, includes an Army birthday festival on the National Mall and will culminate with a parade through the capital and an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony presided over by the president. Nationwide protests on that day were being organised by a group called No Kings. 'They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights and slashed our services,' the group says on its website. 'The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
What are the 'less lethal' weapons used by law enforcement in Los Angeles protests?
FILE PHOTO: The 101 Freeway is reopened and littered with debris from yesterday's protest, including 40mm Flash Bang canisters, after it was closed down yesterday by protesters, after the California National Guard was deployed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a response to protests against federal immigration sweeps, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Jill Connelly/File Photo What are the 'less lethal' weapons used by law enforcement in Los Angeles protests? WASHINGTON - Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles began deploying "less lethal" munitions on Sunday as they clashed with crowds protesting federal immigration raids. "Less lethal" or "less-than-lethal" weapons are designed to cause pain and discomfort, normally to disperse hostile crowds, but have caused serious injury and death in the past. Here is a list of the less lethal weapons that have been deployed in Los Angeles in recent days, according to Reuters witnesses and the Los Angeles Police Department. SPONGE ROUNDS Media outlets, and a reporter hit in the leg by a projectile on Sunday, have said LAPD officers have been firing rubber bullets, a metal casing covered in rubber. In fact, the LAPD do not use rubber bullets, the department told Reuters. Instead, the LAPD uses foam rounds, a condensed sponge projectile that resembles a hard Nerf ball. One version, which has a plastic body with a hard foam nose, is fired from a 40mm launcher and usually aimed directly at a target. A second version, fired from a 37mm launcher, disperses five foam baton rounds toward the ground in front of a hostile crowd once an unlawful assembly has been declared, before bouncing up into the crowd. It is not to be fired directly at individuals, the LAPD said. Both are designed to cause pain on impact without penetrating the skin. Police are forbidden from aiming sponge rounds at the head, neck, groin, and spine. BEAN BAG ROUNDS Bean bag rounds are normally 37mm cloth bags filled with 1.4 oz of lead or rubber pellets. They are fired from shotguns and spread out as they fly toward the intended target. They are designed not to penetrate the skin but to cause an impact hard enough to render a target temporarily immobile. FLASH BANGS Flash bangs, otherwise known as "distraction devices" or "noise flash diversionary devices," produce an ear-piercing bang and bright light to disorient targets by temporarily disrupting their sight and hearing. They are often used to target protesters who have become violent in a section of a crowd, and also to allow police to enter a section of a crowd to extract offenders. One type of flash bang device that has been used in Los Angeles is the 40mm aerial flash bang. These are launched into the air and ignite above the heads of protesters. TEAR GAS Tear gas, one of the most common riot control tools, is designed to temporarily incapacitate people by causing excessive irritation to the eyes, nose, lungs, and skin. It can cause temporary blindness, streaming eyes and nose, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. Tear gas canisters usually contain CS gas, a chemical compound, or OC gas, which stands for oleoresin capsicum, the active ingredient in pepper spray. PEPPER SPRAY Pepper spray, which has similar impacts as tear gas, is sprayed from a handheld canister and is often used when police come into close quarters with rioters or are engaged in hand-to-hand encounters. It mainly irritates the eyes, causing temporary blindness. PEPPER BALLS Pepper balls mirror the effects of pepper spray, but are delivered in a projectile similar to a paintball. On impact, it bursts open, releasing powdered OC into the air. Police often do not fire pepper balls directly at a person, but at street signs, onto buildings or into the ground to cause them to burst open. BATON Known as the oldest less lethal weapon, the baton has been used for crowd control for decades. Police officers have been using batons to push and strike protesters in recent days. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Yemen missile launched toward Israel 'most likely' intercepted, military says
Yemen missile launched toward Israel 'most likely' intercepted, military says CAIRO - The Israeli military said on Tuesday that a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel had "most likely" been intercepted, hours after Israel deployed its navy to hit targets in the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah. Israel threatened Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement - which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza - with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist. "Additional interceptors were launched due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," the military said in a later statement after sirens sounded in several areas. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade. Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
