Iran is set to deliver a counter-proposal for a nuclear agreement to the United States through Oman, announced Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday. This move comes in response to a US offer that Tehran has deemed “unacceptable.”
Previously, Reuters reported that Tehran was preparing a negative reply to the US proposal, which had been presented in late May. An Iranian diplomat indicated that the US offer failed to address key disagreements concerning uranium enrichment within Iran, the overseas transfer of Iran’s entire highly enriched uranium stockpile, and the process for lifting US sanctions.
“The US proposal is not acceptable to us. It was not the outcome of previous rounds of negotiations. We will submit our own proposal to the other side via Oman once it is finalized. This proposal is reasonable, logical, and balanced,” Baghaei stated. He added that there were no details yet regarding the date for a sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the US.
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the US proposal, asserting it was against the country’s interests and pledging to continue enrichment. In 2018, during his first term, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers and reinstated sanctions that severely damaged Iran’s economy. In retaliation, Iran significantly increased its enrichment activities beyond the limits set by that agreement.
