KEY POINTS
- Iran confirms receiving elements of the proposal via Oman’s foreign minister
- The UN nuclear watchdog reported an increase in Iran’s uranium stockpile
- Iran warns of retaliation if European powers exploit the IAEA report to reimpose sanctions
- The IAEA Board of Governors will review Iran’s nuclear activities in Vienna on 9 June
WASHINGTON: The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House describes as “acceptable” and in Tehran’s “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 government, 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 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.
Iran warns EU powers of retaliation
Iran on Sunday warned it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions “exploit”.
According to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), cited 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.
Iran’s total amount of enriched uranium now exceeds 45 times the limit authorised by a landmark 2015 agreement with world powers, and is estimated at 9,247.6 kilograms, according to the confidential IAEA report seen by AFP.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement he had told IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in a phone call that “Iran will respond to any inappropriate action by the European parties” to the 2015 agreement, referring to Britain, France and Germany.
The European trio have warned they could reimpose sanctions if they deemed Iran’s nuclear programme a threat to the continent’s security.
Araghchi urged Grossi in their Saturday call to stop “parties from exploiting” the nuclear watchdog report “to advance their political objectives”, according to the statement.
The IAEA Board of Governors is set to review Iran’s nuclear activities in its upcoming quarterly meeting in Vienna starting June 9.
Iran rejected the IAEA report, the latest move in years-long efforts to restrict its nuclear activities over fears that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The Islamic republic has denied seeking nuclear arms and says it needs the uranium for civilian power production.
The report was leaked as Iran and the United States have been engaged in negotiations towards a new nuclear deal, after Washington had unilaterally abandoned the agreement between Tehran and world powers in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Iran’s response to US proposal
Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received “elements” of a US proposal for a potential nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman.
Iran would respond “in line with the principles, national interests and rights” of its people, Araghchi added in a post on X.
Trump adopted a “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran after withdrawing from the 2015 agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions which the deal had lifted in return for UN-monitored restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities.
The 2015 deal provides for the possibility of UN sanctions being reimposed through a mechanism called “snapback” if Iran fails to fulfil its commitments, an option that expires in October. – Agencies
