Iran demands sanctions relief guarantee in nuclear talks with US
Iran has demanded that the United States clarify exactly how sanctions will be lifted if the two sides are to reach a new agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmail Baghaei made the comments on Monday, days after the US submitted what it described as an 'acceptable' proposal.
The pair has conducted seven weeks of negotiations over the nuclear programme, with the US seeking assurances that it is peaceful, while Iran hopes to escape punishing sanctions that have battered its economy in recent years.
However, Tehran is now demanding Washington detail what it is offering, reflecting scepticism voiced earlier this year by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency, Baghaei stressed the need for guarantees regarding the 'real end of the sanctions', including details on 'how and through what mechanism' they would be removed.
'The American side has not yet provided the necessary clarity in this regard,' he said.Baghaei also reiterated Iran's intention to continue enriching uranium for 'peaceful' purposes.
US envoy Steve Witkoff has said President Donald Trump opposes Tehran continuing any enrichment, calling it a 'red line'.
A leaked United Nations report shows that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched to 60 percent, short of the roughly 90 percent required for atomic weapons but significantly above the 4 percent or so needed for power production.
Baghaei dismissed the report as biased, accusing unnamed Western countries of pressuring the UN to act against Iran's interests.
Official sources cited by The New York Times said the recent US proposal includes a call for Iran to end all enrichment.
While Tehran has confirmed receipt of the proposal, which the White House described as being in Iran's 'best interest', it has said it is still reviewing the document.
'Receiving a text certainly does not mean accepting it, nor does it even mean that it is acceptable,' Baghaei said.
Iran has held five rounds of talks with the US since April 12 in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with the leading powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
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