The US sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House said is “acceptable” and in its “best interest” to accept, US media reported on Saturday.
It came shortly after a UN report said Iran had stepped up production of highly enriched uranium.
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi said he was presented with “elements of a US proposal” by his Omani counterpart during his visit to Tehran on Saturday.
Photo: Reuters
“[US President Donald Trump’s] Special Envoy [to the Middle East Steve] Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, the New York Times reported.
The proposal was described as a series of bullet points rather than a full draft, the New York Times said, 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, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, as well as the US.
Iran has held five rounds of talks with the US in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
Araghchi on Saturday said 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 has sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons, the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
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