Latest news with #PersianGulf
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Iran poised to dismiss U.S. nuclear proposal, Iranian diplomat says
Iran is poised to reject a U.S. proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said on Monday, dismissing it as a "non-starter" that fails to address Tehran's interests or soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment. "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, said. The U.S. 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. After five rounds of discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, several obstacles remain. Among them are Iran's rejection of a U.S. demand that it commit to scrapping uranium enrichment and its refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium — possible raw material for 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. Araqchi said Tehran would formally respond to the proposal soon. The White House encouraged Iran to accept the deal. "President 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." Tehran demands the immediate removal of all U.S.-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. But the U.S. says nuclear-related sanctions should be removed in phases. Dozens of institutions vital to Iran's economy, including its central bank and national oil company, have been blacklisted since 2018 for, according to Washington, "supporting terrorism or weapons proliferation." Trump's revival of "maximum pressure" against Tehran since his return to the White House in January has included tightening sanctions and threatening to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal. During his first term in 2018, Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact's limits. Under the deal, Iran had until 2018 curbed its sensitive nuclear work in return for relief from U.S., European Union and U.N. economic sanctions. The diplomat said the assessment of "Iran's nuclear negotiations committee," under the supervision of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was that the U.S. proposal was "completely one-sided" and could not 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. The stakes are high for both sides. Trump wants to curtail Tehran's potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and perhaps threaten Israel. Iran's clerical establishment, for its part, wants to be rid of the devastating sanctions. Iran says it is ready to accept some limits on enrichment, but needs watertight guarantees that Washington would not renege on a future nuclear accord. Two Iranian officials said last week that Iran could pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. released frozen Iranian funds and recognized Tehran's right to refine uranium for civilian use under a "political deal" that could lead to a broader nuclear accord. Iran's arch-foe Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Araqchi, in a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, said, "I do not think Israel will commit such a mistake as to attack Iran." Tehran's regional influence has meanwhile been diminished by military setbacks suffered by its forces and those of its allies in the Shiite-dominated "Axis of Resistance," which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias. In April, Saudi Arabia's defense minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials to take Trump's offer of a new deal seriously as a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel.
Globe and Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Iran set to reject U.S. nuclear proposal over uranium enrichment demand, report says
Iran is poised to reject a U.S. proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said on Monday, dismissing it as a 'non-starter' that fails to address Tehran's interests or soften Washington's stance on uranium enrichment. '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 Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington. After five rounds of discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, several obstacles remain. Iran says it could survive if U.S. nuclear talks end without a deal Among them are Iran's rejection of a U.S. demand that it commit to scrapping uranium enrichment and its refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium - possible raw material for 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. Araqchi said Tehran would formally respond to the proposal soon. The White House encouraged Iran to accept the deal. 'President 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.' Tehran demands the immediate removal of all U.S.-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. But the U.S. says nuclear-related sanctions should be removed in phases. Dozens of institutions vital to Iran's economy, including its central bank and national oil company, have been blacklisted since 2018 for, according to Washington, 'supporting terrorism or weapons proliferation.' Trump's revival of 'maximum pressure' against Tehran since his return to the White House in January has included tightening sanctions and threatening to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal. During his first term in 2018, Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact's limits. Under the deal, Iran had until 2018 curbed its sensitive nuclear work 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 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was that the U.S. proposal was 'completely one-sided' and could not 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. The stakes are high for both sides. Trump wants to curtail Tehran's potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and perhaps threaten Israel. Iran's clerical establishment, for its part, wants to be rid of the devastating sanctions. Iran says it is ready to accept some limits on enrichment, but needs watertight guarantees that Washington would not renege on a future nuclear accord. Two Iranian officials told Reuters last week that Iran could pause uranium enrichment if the U.S. released frozen Iranian funds and recognised Tehran's right to refine uranium for civilian use under a 'political deal' that could lead to a broader nuclear accord. Iran's arch-foe Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear programme as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Araqchi, in a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, said: 'I do not think Israel will commit such a mistake as to attack Iran.' Tehran's regional influence has meanwhile been diminished by military setbacks suffered by its forces and those of its allies in the Shi'ite-dominated 'Axis of Resistance', which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias. In April, Saudi Arabia's defence minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials to take Trump's offer of a new deal seriously as a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. (Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Jeff Mason in WashingtonWriting by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean and Rod Nickel)
LBCI
a day ago
- Business
- LBCI
Iran demands 'guarantee' US will lift sanctions in nuclear talks
Tehran called on Washington to provide a formal guarantee that it will lift sanctions imposed on Iran in ongoing talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. "We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference in Tehran. "So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue." AFP
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani Comes Under New Scrutiny from U.S. Prosecutors
Gautam Adani, Asia's second-richest man, is trying to get the Trump administration to drop foreign bribery charges against him. Instead, he is facing a new front in his fight with prosecutors: a probe into whether his companies are buying Iranian petrochemical products. U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Adani's companies imported Iranian liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, into India through the company's Mundra port. A Wall Street Journal investigation into tankers that regularly traveled between Mundra and the Persian Gulf found their behavior often exhibited traits seen by ships seeking to evade sanctions.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Iran poised to dismiss US nuclear proposal, says Iranian diplomat
Iran is poised to reject a US 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 US proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the US offer,' the senior diplomat, who is close to Iran's negotiating team, told Reuters. The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman's Foreign Minister 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 Araghchi 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 US 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 US 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 US-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. But for the US, 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 program. The 2015 deal required Iran to take steps to restrict its nuclear program in return for relief from US, EU and UN economic sanctions. The diplomat said the assessment of 'Iran's nuclear negotiations committee,' under the supervision of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was that the US 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 US releases frozen Iranian funds and recognizes Tehran's right to refine uranium for civilian use under a 'political deal' that could lead to a broader nuclear accord.
