According to Iranian state media, the parliament speaker declared on Sunday that the most recent US proposal for a nuclear agreement is unacceptable, primarily because it omits any provision for lifting sanctions. This development signals a significant challenge in the ongoing discussions between the two long-standing adversaries. Since April, five rounds of talks, mediated by Oman, have taken place with the goal of restoring an accord that previously limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for economic concessions, an agreement the former US President unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.
In a broadcast on Iranian television, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated unequivocally that “the US plan does not even mention the lifting of sanctions.” He condemned this omission as a sign of bad faith, accusing the Americans of attempting to force a “unilateral” deal upon Tehran, which Iran has firmly stated it will not accept. Ghalibaf urged the American leader to adopt a different approach if a sincere agreement is truly sought.
On May 31, after the conclusion of the fifth round of negotiations, Iran confirmed receipt of “elements” of a US proposal. However, Iranian officials subsequently raised concerns about the “ambiguities” present in the draft text. The US and its Western allies have long voiced suspicions that the Islamic republic is pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim consistently denied by Iran, which insists its atomic program is solely for peaceful applications.
The core disagreements in these discussions revolve around the cessation of severe economic sanctions and the sensitive matter of uranium enrichment. Iran asserts its entitlement to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Conversely, the former US administration deemed any Iranian enrichment a critical boundary. The current US administration, having re-imposed a “maximum pressure” strategy since January, has consistently maintained that uranium enrichment will not be permitted under any prospective deal. Iran’s chief negotiator recently reiterated that the country would not seek permission to continue enriching uranium. The international atomic energy agency indicates Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state globally to enrich uranium up to 60%, still short of the weapon-grade 90%. Iran’s supreme leader has also rejected the latest US offer, highlighting enrichment as crucial to their nuclear initiatives.
