Iran is preparing to give a negative response to the US nuclear deal proposal. The latest American initiative is about limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment program to clear time limits, which sooner or later should probably lead to its complete disappearance. The day before, President Donald Trump once again stressed that his country would not allow Tehran to have its own infrastructure for improving nuclear material. The maximalist position of the United States may lead to the fact that the “nuclear” negotiations expected this week may not take place.
A senior diplomat close to the group of Iranian negotiators told Reuters that Tehran is preparing a negative response to Washington’s “nuclear” initiatives.
It follows from his comments that the special committee headed by the Supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, came to a clear conclusion: the latest proposals received from the United States are “completely one-sided” and cannot serve the interests of the Iranian side. “In this document, the US position on enrichment on Iranian territory remains unchanged (that is, Iran cannot have its own uranium enrichment program. – NG), and there is no clear explanation for the lifting of sanctions,” the source explained to Reuters.
Publicly, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi commented on Iran’s upcoming message to the American negotiating group very carefully. “We will soon present our response to the American proposal: it will meet Iran’s interests, because we do not accept any agreement other than the one that ensures our people the realization of their legitimate rights, including the right to develop peaceful nuclear energy,” the chief of Iranian diplomacy stressed during a press conference with his by his Egyptian colleague Badr Abdel Ata. The Minister once again recalled that the Islamic Republic enriches uranium “exclusively for peaceful purposes” and also “as part of scientific activities.”
As Axios sources familiar with the substance of the US proposals explained, Washington’s latest initiative boils down to the fact that Iran’s low-level enrichment program will simply be limited in time. The concept does not call for the immediate dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, but it still does not allow Tehran to save face. As Trump himself explained the day before, the Iranian side cannot be given a chance to develop its own program. “Autopero (meaning the 46th President of the United States, Joseph Biden. – NG) should have stopped the enrichment situation in Iran long ago. According to our potential agreement, we will not allow any uranium enrichment!” the American leader emphasized on the Truth Social network.
As for the lifting of long-standing sanctions against Iran, the American proposal says: their lifting will be considered only after Iran “demonstrates a real commitment” to meet the requirements of the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
However, international inspectors are now clearly suspicious of Iran. The other day, the IAEA presented its closed report, which talks about the illegal nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic in several suspicious research centers at once, as well as its work on the rapid build-up of highly enriched uranium reserves. “The agency’s reports are based on information received from our observers on the ground,” the Director of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, informed the other day and stressed that these conclusions are not politically motivated, as the Iranian side is trying to present.
It should be noted that the most important step that the Trump administration has taken in recent weeks is to suspend routine sanctions activity against Iran. As The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, citing sources, since May 21, the White House has completely stopped the introduction of new restrictive measures against Tehran, and White House press Secretary Caroline Leavitt even sent a special directive to the State Department, the Treasury Department and the National Security Council (NSC) demanding “to pause all activities on the introduction of new sanctions against Iran.”
In fact, The Wall Street Journal emphasizes, Washington has frozen its “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which was consistently conducted by Trump during his first presidential term.
But such concessions are not enough for Tehran. He demands full consideration of the demands that were put forward to the United States in the previous five negotiating rounds. CNN sources in Tehran called the latest US initiative on the nuclear deal “inconsistent and incoherent, very unrealistic and containing excessive demands.” “The Americans are constantly changing their position, and this has so far been the main obstacle to successful negotiations and makes it more difficult than ever,” an unnamed senior Iranian official told CNN. He added that the latest text of the proposals “directly contradicts the latest agreement” that the parties reached during the fifth round of negotiations in Rome.
In connection with the current situation, the likelihood of a sixth round of negotiations on the nuclear issue between Washington and Tehran, which was expected to take place this week, is under serious question, the CNN interlocutor reasoned. However, it is possible that in this way the Islamic Republic exerts pressure on the other side of the negotiations.