Latest news with #SayyidBadrAlbusaidi


Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Iran poised to dismiss US nuclear proposal
Iran is poised to reject a US 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 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 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. Among them are Iran's rejection of a US 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 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. Araqchi said Tehran would formally respond to the proposal soon. The US State Department declined to comment. Tehran demands the immediate removal of all US-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. But the US 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. Reuters


India Today
15 hours ago
- Business
- 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
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US nuclear deal proposal would allow Iran to enrich uranium in limited capacity
This follows earlier reports from Monday that Iran is poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-long nuclear dispute. The US nuclear deal proposal that was allegedly given to Iran would allow limited and low-level uranium enrichment, Walla reported on Monday. Limited uranium enrichment would be for a "to-be-determined" period of time, Walla said. This proposal contradicts statements from top officials. This follows earlier reports from Monday that Iran is poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-long nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said, 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 Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Iran carried out secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the UN nuclear watchdog at three locations that have long been under investigation, the watchdog said in a wide-ranging, confidential report to member states seen by Reuters last week. The findings in the "comprehensive" International Atomic Energy Agency report requested by the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in November pave the way for a push by the United States, Britain, France, and Germany for the board to declare Iran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations. A resolution would infuriate Iran and could further complicate nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.


The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
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 (June 2, 2025), 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. 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 U.S. State Department declined to comment. 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. Nuclear standoff between U.S. and Iran The stakes are high for both sides. Mr. 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 in Washington Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean)


Deccan Herald
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
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.