On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US’s proposal for a nuclear deal contains “ambiguities and questions,” comments that come amid a series of conflicting reports about the US offer.
“The written proposal we received from the US contains many ambiguities and questions. Many issues in this proposal are not clear,” Aragchi said during a visit to Lebanon.
The Iranian diplomat said that Tehran would respond to the proposal soon. “We will provide an appropriate and considered response in the coming days, based on our principled positions and with the interests of the Iranian people in mind,” he said.
The US and Iran have been at odds over the issue of Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program. Publicly, the US has been demanding that it’s eliminated altogether, a condition Tehran has made clear is a non-starter.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the US proposal would allow Iran to enrich uranium at low levels for an interim period until new nuclear facilities are set up by a consortium of regional countries, including Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. But the plan ultimately involves Iran ending uranium enrichment on its soil and puts Tehran in a position where its nuclear fuel supply could be cut off.
“Continuing enrichment on Iranian soil is our red line, and this is an undeniable fact that now seems to be accepted by all countries. Enrichment has become a matter of national pride and a source of honor for Iranians,” Aragchi said on Tuesday.
A day earlier, President Trump said any deal with Iran wouldn’t allow nuclear enrichment, which appeared to contradict a report from Axios that said a US proposal would allow enrichment at low levels.
“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump has been conducting negotiations under the threat that he will bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached, despite the fact that US intelligence agencies recently reaffirmed that there’s no evidence Tehran is building a bomb or that Khamenei has reversed his ban on the development of nuclear weapons.
