TEHRAN - Iran will soon present a counterproposal for a nuclear deal to the United States, according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Esmaeil Baghaei, the ministry’s spokesman, told a weekly news conference on Monday that Iran was not satisfied with a US proposal and it would present its version via mediator Oman.
This marks the first public sign that Tehran will not accept the US proposal after the fifth round of talks last month, during which Iran said it had received “elements” of a US proposal and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said the text contained “ambiguities”.
Baqhaei criticised the US proposal on Monday as “lacking elements” reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations, but he did not provide details.
“We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through Oman once it is finalised,” he said.
Baghaei said the US proposal failed to include the lifting of sanctions – a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.
Five rounds of talks
Tehran and Washington have held talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear accord to replace a deal with major powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
The longtime foes have been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment. Tehran defends it as a “nonnegotiable” right and Washington describes it as a “red line”.
Trump, who has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions on Iran since retaking office in January, has repeatedly said Tehran will not be allowed any uranium enrichment under a potential deal.
Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed the US proposal as against Iran’s interests, pledging to continue enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers view as a potential pathway to building nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will convene a Board of Governors meeting from Monday to Friday in Vienna to discuss Iran’s nuclear activities.
The meeting comes after the IAEA released a report criticising “less than satisfactory” cooperation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites.
Iran has criticised the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying it relied on “forged documents” provided by Israel.
It is not yet clear when the sixth round of nuclear talks will take place between Tehran and Washington, Baghaei said. I aje
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