Iranian official says US nuclear proposal is ‘incoherent and disjointed,' as sources warn talks momentum is collapsing
A senior Iranian official told CNN the new nuclear deal proposal presented to Tehran in recent days is 'incoherent and disjointed,' as sources familiar with the progress of the talks said the momentum behind negotiations to secure a new deal appears to be collapsing.
The private pessimism contrasts with President Donald Trump's public optimism last week that the administration was 'very close to a solution.'
CNN has also learned that the US has shifted position on the issue of uranium enrichment in the new proposal. It suggests the US could invest in Iran's civilian nuclear power program and join a consortium that would oversee the enrichment of low-level uranium inside of Iran for an unspecified amount of time. That consortium is expected to include Middle Eastern nations and the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Previously, senior US officials have said no enrichment inside Iran could take place under a new deal, and top US officials demanded that Iran stop enrichment and only import the material – a suggestion Tehran firmly rejected. The prospect of allowing continued low-level enrichment in the country would likely enrage Iran hawks in the US and Israel and hearkens back to the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said that they are open to the idea of an enrichment consortium but have insisted Iran must be able to keep control of its own enrichment capabilities.
The senior Iranian official on Monday denounced the new proposal, saying that at 'at first glance, is assessed as incoherent and disjointed, very unrealistic, and with excessive demands.'
They argued that the primary barrier to progress was the US' inconsistency.
'The fact that the Americans constantly change their positions has so far been the main obstacle to the success of the talks and now makes the work more difficult than ever,' the official added.
The official also alleged the latest text directly contradicts prior understandings.
'The text is clearly in conflict with the latest agreement reached during the fifth round of negotiations,' the official stated. They reaffirmed Tehran's uncompromising stance on a critical issue, saying, 'Iran's position on enrichment is firm and steadfast.'
Iran and the United States concluded a fifth round of high-stakes nuclear talks in Rome on May 23 amid growing skepticism in Tehran about the chances of a deal. After that round of talks, the two sides 'agreed to meet again in the near future,' a US senior administration official said at the time.
Now, however, the next round of talks is very uncertain and may not happen at all, the sources familiar said.
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