Iran poised to dismiss US nuclear proposal, says Iranian diplomat
FILE PHOTO: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is welcomed by an unidentified Omani official upon his arrival in Muscat, Oman, May 11, 2025. Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Atomic symbol, USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An Iranian newspaper with a cover photo of Iran, Oman and U.S. Flags, is seen in Tehran, Iran, May 11, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
DUBAI - Iran is poised to reject a U.S. proposal to end a decades-long nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said on Monday, slamming it as a "non-starter" that fails to address Tehran's interests and leaves Washington's stance on uranium enrichment unchanged.
"Iran is drafting a negative response to the U.S. proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the U.S. offer," the senior diplomat, who is close to Iran's negotiating team, told Reuters.
The U.S. proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.
But after five rounds of talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to resolve the nuclear standoff, many issues remain unresolved.
Among clashing red lines is Iran's rejection of a U.S. demand that Tehran commit to scrapping uranium enrichment, viewed as a potential pathway to developing nuclear bombs.
Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
"In this proposal, the U.S. stance on enrichment on Iranian soil remains unchanged, and there is no clear explanation regarding the lifting of sanctions," said the diplomat, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Tehran demands the immediate removal of all U.S.-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. But for the U.S., the removal of nuclear-related sanctions should be done in phases.
Dozens of Iranian institutions vital to Iran's economy, including its central bank and national oil company, have been sanctioned since 2018 for, according to Washington, "supporting terrorism or weapons proliferation".
Trump's revival of a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran since his return to the White House in January has included tightened sanctions and threats to bomb Iran if current negotiations yield no deal.
During his first term, Trump in 2018 ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. In return, Tehran has rapidly violated the 2015 nuclear pact's curbs on its nuclear programme.
The 2015 deal required Iran to take steps to restrict its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. economic sanctions.
The diplomat said the assessment of "Iran's nuclear negotiations committee", under the supervision of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was that the U.S. proposal is "completely one-sided" and cannot serve Tehran's interests.
Therefore, the diplomat said, Tehran considers this proposal a "non-starter" and believes it unilaterally attempts to impose a "bad deal" on Iran through excessive demands.
Two Iranian officials told Reuters last week that Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. releases frozen Iranian funds and recognises Tehran's right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- Straits Times
South Korea's Lee, Trump agree to work towards ‘satisfactory' tariff deal
South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump spoke in their first phone call on June 6. PHOTO: REUTERS, EPA-EFE SEOUL - US President Donald Trump and South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung agreed to work toward a swift tariff deal and shared stories about their experiences in their first phone call since Lee was elected, his office said on June 6. Mr Trump has imposed tariffs on South Korea, which has a bilateral free trade deal, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there and increased competition with China. The future of South Korea's export-oriented economy will hinge on what kind of deal Mr Lee can strike, with all of his country's key sectors from chips to autos and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. His term began on June 11. 'The two presidents agreed to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations as soon as possible that both countries can be satisfied with,' Mr Lee's office said in a statement. 'To this end, they decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results.' Mr Trump invited Mr Lee to a summit in the US and they plan to meet soon, according to a White House official. The two leaders also shared stories from the campaign trail, including of assassination attempts and political difficulties, and agreed that strong leadership emerges as they overcome difficulties, Mr Lee's office said. Mr Lee survived a knife attack and underwent surgery when he was stabbed in the neck by a man during an event in 2024. Mr Trump and Mr Lee also talked of their golf skills and agreed to play golf when possible, Mr Lee's office said, while Mr Lee mentioned that he was gifted a hat with Mr Trump's signature on it. South Korea, a major US ally and one of the first countries to engage with Washington after Japan on trade talks, agreed in late April to craft a 'July package' scrapping levies before the 90-day pause on Mr Trump's reciprocal tariffs is lifted, but progress was disrupted by upheavals in its leadership. Mr Lee, a liberal, was elected on June 3 after the US ally's former conservative leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached and ousted. Mr Lee said on the eve of the elections that 'the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States.' Mr Lee's camp has said, however, that they intend to seek more time to negotiate on trade with Mr Trump. While reiterating the importance of the US-South Korea alliance, Mr Lee has also expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
43 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US targets Iran's shadow banking with new sanctions
WASHINGTON - The U.S. issued Iran-related sanctions targeting more than 30 individuals and entities it said are part of a "shadow banking" network that has laundered billions of dollars through the global financial system, the Treasury Department said on Friday. The sanctions, which target Iranian nationals and some entities in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, were announced as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is working to get a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Treasury said at least two of the companies were linked to Iran's national tanker company. "Iran's shadow banking system is a critical lifeline for the regime through which it accesses the proceeds from its oil sales, moves money, and funds its destabilizing activities," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. The U.S. believes the network helps Tehran fund its nuclear and missile programs and support its militant proxies throughout the Middle East. It was the first round of U.S. sanctions targeting the shadow banking infrastructure since Trump re-imposed "maximum pressure" on Iran in February, Treasury said. Talks between Iran and the U.S. that aim to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions have been stuck over disagreements about uranium enrichment. Treasury said the individuals and entities are tied to Iranian brothers Mansour, Nasser, and Fazlolah Zarringhalam, who collectively laundered billions of dollars through the international financial system. Treasury said the brothers operate exchange houses in Iran and a network of front companies in Hong Kong and the UAE, but did not say where they are located. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters was not able to locate the brothers for comment. Treasury said front companies in the network operate accounts in multiple currencies at various banks to facilitate payments for blocked Iranian entities selling Iranian oil. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Ace Petrochem FZE, and Moderate General Trading LLC, both registered in the UAE, to its Specially Designated Nationals list, freezing any of their U.S. assets. OFAC said they are both linked to the state-owned National Iranian Tanker Company which is under U.S. sanctions for exporting Iranian oil. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
China says it is working with France on trade differences, no sign yet of a cognac deal
FILE PHOTO: Bottles of Remy Martin VSOP cognac, Remy Martin XO cognac and St-Remy XO Brandy are displayed at the Remy Cointreau SA headquarters in Paris, France, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo China says it is working with France on trade differences, no sign yet of a cognac deal BEIJING/PARIS - China and France have agreed to resolve their trade disputes through dialogue, China's foreign ministry said on Friday, though there was no indication that agreement had been reached in talks on lifting Chinese levies on European brandy. Talks to resolve the cognac dispute accelerated this week with China's commerce minister Wang Wentao meeting his French counterpart in Paris on the sidelines of an OECD conference, and technical talks on the matter taking place in Beijing. The latest round of negotiations have raised hopes of a settlement, two industry sources with knowledge of the discussions said. "The two sides have reached consensus on resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation", the Chinese foreign ministry said after a call between the Chinese and French foreign ministers. Chinese anti-dumping measures that applied duties of up to 39% on imports of European brandy - with French cognac bearing the brunt - have strained relations between Paris and Beijing. The brandy duties were enforced days after the European Union took action against Chinese-made electric vehicle imports to shield its local industry, prompting France's President Emmanuel Macron to accuse Beijing of "pure retaliation". The Chinese duties have dented sales of brands including LVMH's Hennessy, Pernod Ricard's Martell and Remy Cointreau. Beijing was initially meant to make a final decision on the duties by January, but extended the deadline to April and then again to July 5. China is seeking to strengthen trade ties with the 27-member bloc as relations with the United States have soured in the escalating trade war. "France will not compromise on ... the protection of its industries, such as cognac," French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said after talks with Wang on Wednesday. Chinese officials, meanwhile, signalled to industry officials during three rounds of technical meetings in Beijing this week they wanted to settle the matter, one of the sources said, but added some sticking points remained. With annual imports of around $1.7 billion last year, China is the French brandy industry's most important measured by value and the second-largest by volume after the United States. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
