White House says sent ‘acceptable' nuclear deal proposal to Iran: US media
WASHINGTON: The United Sates sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House says is 'acceptable' and in its 'best interest' to accept, US media reported on Saturday.
It came shortly after a UN report said the Islamic republic had stepped up production of highly enriched uranium.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was presented with 'elements of a US proposal' by his Omani counterpart during his visit to Tehran on Saturday.
'Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it's in their best interest to accept it,' said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the New York Times reported.
The proposal was described as a series of bullet points rather than a full draft, according to the New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges.
It calls on Iran to stop all enrichment of uranium and proposes creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power, which would include Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, as well as the United States.
Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
Araghchi had said Saturday that Iran considers nuclear weapons 'unacceptable.'
His remarks came a day after Trump said Iran 'cannot have a nuclear weapon,' while expressing hope of striking a deal soon.
According to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by AFP, Iran has sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Panama removes over 650 ships from registry amid sanctions, stricter rules
FILE PHOTO: A LPG tanker ship sails through the Panama Canal after Panama's Maritime Authority said on Friday it will reinforce controls for ship-to-ship operations by Panama-flagged vessels, following an increase in the use of "dark-fleet" tankers to skirt sanctions or evade environmental requirements, in Gamboa, Panama, May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Enea Lebrun/File Photo PANAMA CITY (Reuters) -Panama's Maritime Authority has removed from its registry more than 650 vessels since 2019 as part of an effort to fulfill U.S. sanctions and enforce stricter rules for the ships it flags, it said on Monday. A total of 214 vessels have been withdrawn from Panama's registry, among the world's largest with more than 8,500 ships, since it began implementing measures last year allowing it to act faster to help enforce sanctions, the authority added. Ships cannot sail under Panama's flag once they are removed from its registry. Panama responded to criticism by non-governmental organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which last week said Panama had not taken sufficient action against sanction violators and asked it to "immediately cease facilitating Iran's illicit oil trade" and withdraw its flag from all tankers carrying Iranian oil. According to UANI, nearly one in five vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil sails under Panama's flag. "This is not just a failure of Panama's registry. It's a direct threat to global sanctions compliance and regional and U.S. security," it said. Panama in 2019 signed an agreement with other flag countries including Liberia and Marshall Islands to exchange information about vessels whose registrations were canceled or rejected due to potential sanction violations. It also began implementing measures against ships that deliberately turn off their transponders to avoid tracking. In May, the authority said it would reinforce controls for ship-to-ship operations by Panama-flagged vessels, following an increase in the use of "dark-fleet" tankers to skirt sanctions or evade environmental requirements. The U.S. has increased pressure on countries with large vessel registries to help enforce sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the expansion of a dark fleet of tankers moving sanctioned oil and threatened to take over the Panama Canal. The Central American nation is collaborating with the United States on its registry, the authority said in its press release. (Reporting by Elida Moreno; writing by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Leslie Adler and Rod Nickel)
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Iran says no nuclear deal if deprived of ‘peaceful activities'
CAIRO: Iran said Monday it will not accept a nuclear agreement that deprives it of what it calls 'peaceful activities', a reference to uranium enrichment, as it pressed the United States for guarantees it will drop sanctions. Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention between the foes, in talks to seal a nuclear deal since April, with Iran defending what it says is its pursuit of a civil nuclear programme but with the US side calling it a 'red line'. Speaking in Cairo, where he met the UN nuclear watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: 'If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached.' Araghchi insisted that Iran has 'nothing to hide' on its nuclear programme. 'Iran has a peaceful nuclear programme... we are prepared to provide this assurance to any party or entity,' he said. The remarks came after Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had stepped up uranium enrichment. The IAEA report showed that Iran has stepped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent -- close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons. 'There is a need for more transparency -- this is very, very clear -- in Iran, and nothing will bring us to this confidence (besides) full explanations of a number of activities,' Grossi said ahead of meeting Araghchi. Grossi added that some of the report's findings 'may be uncomfortable for some, and we are... used to being criticised'. Iran has rejected the report, warning it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions 'exploit' it. 'Some countries are trying to abuse this agency to pave the way for escalation with Iran. I hope that this agency does not fall into this trap,' Araghchi said of the IAEA. Iran meanwhile pushed for the United States to drop sanctions that have crippled its economy as a condition for a nuclear agreement with President Donald Trump's administration. Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received 'elements' of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman. 'With or without a deal' On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference: 'We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted.' 'So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue,' he said. The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that Trump's administration would oppose any Iranian enrichment. 'An enrichment programme can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That's our red line. No enrichment,' Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News. Iran has vowed to keep enriching uranium 'with or without a deal' on its nuclear programme. The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called 'acceptable' and in Tehran's 'best interest' to accept, US media reported on Saturday. The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power. Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
UN chief calls for probe into deaths near Gaza aid site
GAZA CITY: UN chief Antonio Guterres called Monday for an independent investigation into the killing of dozens of Palestinians near a US-backed aid centre in Gaza after rescuers blamed the deaths on Israeli fire and the military denied any involvement. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people and wounded 176 near the aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, with AFP photos showing civilians at the scene carting away bodies and medics at nearby hospitals reporting a deluge of gunshot wound victims. The Israeli military, however, denied its troops had fired on civilians in or around the centre, and both it and the aid site's administrator accused Hamas of sowing false rumours. 'I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday. It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,' Guterres said in a statement, without assigning blame for the deaths. 'I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.' The Israeli government has cooperated with the group running the site, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), to introduce a new mechanism for distributing aid in Gaza that has bypassed the longstanding UN-led system. The UN has declined to work with the group out of concerns about its neutrality, with some aid agencies saying it appears designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. 'Killed right in front of me' An eyewitness from the scene in Rafah, Sameh Hamuda, 33, had told AFP he was headed towards the aid site amid a crowd of other Palestinians when 'quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting'. 'Several people were killed right in front of me,' he said. Another witness, Abdullah Barbakh, 58, also told AFP 'the army opened fire from drones and tanks'. Following the reports, the Israeli army said an initial inquiry found its troops 'did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site'. Army spokesman Effie Defrin said in a video message that 'Hamas is doing its best, its utmost, to stop us from' distributing aid, and vowed to 'investigate each one of those allegations' against Israeli troops. 'I urge you not to believe every rumour spread by Hamas,' he added. GHF also denied any deaths or injuries took place, adding that 'these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas'. Israel has come under increasing international pressure to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza following a more than two-month blockade on aid that was only recently eased. The UN has warned the entire population of the territory is facing the risk of famine. It has also reported recent incidents of aid being looted, including by armed individuals. 'Points of contention' Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire and the return of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 2023 attack that triggered the war have failed to produce a breakthrough. Militants took 251 hostages during the attack, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead. After the two sides failed to agree on a new ceasefire proposal last week, Hamas said it was ready to 'immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention'. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, said he had told the army 'to continue forward in Gaza against all targets, regardless of any negotiations'. Since a brief truce collapsed in March, Israel has intensified its operations to destroy Hamas. On Monday, Gaza's civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 14 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza, 'including six children and three women, in addition to more than 20 missing individuals still under the rubble'. 'This house has been bombed before... and people were martyred previously,' resident Mousa al-Bursh told AFP. 'The house primarily belongs to the Al-Bursh family, but it shelters many others, more than one family, and we don't know the number of victims inside.' The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,201 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,470, mostly civilians. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
