Iran poised to dismiss US nuclear proposal, Iranian diplomat says
The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington.
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Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Iran's Khamenei calls US nuclear proposal against national interest
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday a US proposal for a nuclear agreement was against the national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium. The longtime foes have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new accord to replace the deal with major powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. On Saturday, Iran said it had received "elements" of the US proposal through Omani mediators, the details of which have not been publicly disclosed. "The proposal presented by the Americans is 100 percent against" notions of independence and self-reliance, Khamenei said in a televised speech, invoking ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution. "Independence means not waiting for the green light from America and the likes of America." Iran's enrichment of uranium has emerged as a major point of contention. Trump said on Monday his administration would not allow "any" enrichment, despite Tehran's insistence it is its right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Khamenei said enrichment is "key" to Iran's nuclear programme and that the United States "cannot have a say" on the issue. "If we have 100 nuclear power plants but don't have enrichment, they will be of no use to us," because "nuclear power plants need fuel" to operate, he said. "If we cannot produce this fuel domestically, we have to reach out to the United States, which may have dozens of conditions." The New York Times reported Tuesday that the US proposal includes "an arrangement that would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium at low levels" as the US and other countries "work out a more detailed plan intended to block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon". It said the proposal would see the United States facilitating "the building of nuclear power plants for Iran and negotiate the construction of enrichment facilities managed by a consortium of regional countries". Iran has previously said it is open to temporary limits on its enrichment of uranium, and is willing to consider the establishment of a regional nuclear fuel consortium. But it has stressed that such a consortium is "in no way intended to replace Iran's own uranium enrichment programme". Iran's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said in a Wednesday post on X: No enrichment, no deal. No nuclear weapons, we have a deal." On Monday, Araghchi held talks in Cairo with Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. In its latest quarterly report last week, the IAEA said Iran had further stepped up its production of highly enriched uranium. In a separate report, it also criticised "less than satisfactory" cooperation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal but still short of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. The reports came ahead of a planned IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna later this month which will review Iran's nuclear activities. Washington and other Western governments have continued to accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability. Iran insists its programme is for peaceful purposes only. The 2015 deal provided Iran with relief from international sanctions in return for UN-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities. Trump reimposed US sanctions when he quit the agreement in 2018 and has since tightened them with secondary sanctions against third parties who violate them. Britain, France and Germany, the three European countries who were party to the 2015 deal, are currently weighing whether to trigger the sanctions "snapback" mechanism in the accord. The mechanism would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance -- an option that expires in October. Iran has criticised the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying it relied on "forged documents" provided by its arch foe Israel.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Iran's Khamenei says US nuclear proposal against national interest
ranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Image credit: AP) TEHRAN: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday a US proposal for a nuclear agreement was against the national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium. The longtime foes have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new accord to replace the deal with major powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. On Saturday, Iran said it had received "elements" of the US proposal through Omani mediators, the details of which have not been publicly disclosed. "The (nuclear) proposal presented by the Americans is 100 percent against" the ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution, Khamenei said in a televised speech. "Independence means not waiting for the green light from America and the likes of America." Iran's enrichment of uranium has emerged as a major point of contention. Trump said on Monday his administration would not allow "any" enrichment, despite Tehran's insistence it is its right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Khamenei said enrichment is "key" to Iran's nuclear programme and that the United States "cannot have a say" on the issue. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Ouro Preto (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo "If we have 100 nuclear power plants but don't have enrichment, they will be of no use to us," because "nuclear power plants need fuel" to operate, he said. "If we cannot produce this fuel domestically, we have to reach out to the United States, which may have dozens of conditions." Less than satisfactory: On Monday, Iran's lead negotiator, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, held talks in Cairo with Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. In its latest quarterly report last week, the IAEA said Iran had further stepped up its production of highly enriched uranium. In a separate report, it also criticised "less than satisfactory" cooperation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 per cent, far above the 3.67 per cent limit set in the 2015 deal but still short of the 90 per cent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. The reports came ahead of a planned IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna later this month which will review Iran's nuclear activities. Washington and other Western governments have continued to accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability. Iran insists its programme is for peaceful purposes only. The 2015 deal provided Iran with relief from international sanctions in return for UN-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities. Trump reimposed US sanctions when he quit the agreement in 2018 and has since tightened them with secondary sanctions against third parties who violate them. Britain, France and Germany, the three European countries who were party to the 2015 deal, are currently weighing whether to trigger the sanctions "snapback" mechanism in the accord. The mechanism would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance -- an option that expires in October. Iran has slammed the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying it relied on "forged documents" provided by its arch foe Israel.
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Non-Starter: Iran set to reject US nuclear deal over enrichment, sanctions
Iran is expected to reject a fresh US nuclear proposal delivered over the weekend, calling the offer one-sided and lacking any concessions on key issues such as uranium enrichment and sanctions relief, a senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters on Monday."Iran is drafting a negative response to the US proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the US offer," said the diplomat, who is closely aligned with Iran's nuclear negotiating team. "This proposal is a non-starter that fails to address Tehran's interests."advertisementThe latest US offer was relayed to Tehran on Saturday by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who has been shuttling between the two sides in an effort to mediate a breakthrough. Despite five rounds of indirect discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, key sticking points remain unresolved. One of the main obstacles is Washington's continued demand that Iran fully halt uranium enrichment and ship out its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Tehran has consistently rebuffed these terms.'In this proposal, the US stance on enrichment on Iranian soil remains unchanged, and there is no clear explanation regarding the lifting of sanctions,' the diplomat said, adding that the Iranian side views the American position as 'completely one-sided.'Iran maintains that its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes and denies seeking nuclear weapons. It has demanded the immediate removal of US sanctions that have throttled its oil-dependent economy. However, Washington has insisted that any sanctions relief must occur in phases, conditional on Tehran's Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb. Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it's in their best interest to accept it," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the Administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media."But Iranian officials say they are unconvinced. According to the diplomat, the proposal 'attempts to impose a bad deal on Iran through excessive demands.'The talks come amid renewed tensions since Trump's return to the White House in January. His administration has resumed the 'maximum pressure' campaign, blacklisting dozens of Iranian institutions and threatening military action should diplomacy withdrew from the original 2015 nuclear accord during his first term, reimposing sanctions that Tehran responded to by ramping up its uranium enrichment well beyond the deal's said Iran would issue a formal response to the US proposal soon, but the mood in Tehran suggests rejection is all but Iranian nuclear negotiations committee, overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly concluded that the current US offer "could not serve Tehran's interests."Must Watch
