The US proposal for a nuclear deal presented to Iran on Saturday allows some limited uranium enrichment within the country, Axios reports, citing two sources with direct knowledge.
The proposal, presented to Iran on Saturday by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, would forbid Iran from building new enrichment facilities and dismantle enrichment infrastructure, as well as stop Iran from new research and development of centrifuges.
However, Iran would be able to keep enriching in above-ground facilities to three percent, the level needed to fuel a civilian nuclear reactor.
It will have to stop enriching to higher levels, as it currently does, and will have to mothball its underground enrichment facilities for a to-be-agreed-upon period.
A regional enrichment consortium would provide Iran with any additional low-enriched uranium it needs for civilian purposes.
Sanctions would be eased after Iran “demonstrates real commitment” to the terms of the deal, as determined by Washington and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,” says Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in response, without denying the details of the offer.
“Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it. Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the Administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.”
A senior Iranian diplomat said Monday that Tehran would reject the US proposal, saying that it fails to address Tehran’s interests or soften Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment.
Both the US and Israel have agreed that any deal must include a requirement for Iran to cease all uranium enrichment activity, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff has insisted that this is a red line he will not back down from.
But the Wall Street Journal reports that Israeli officials believe the US may drop the demand and proceed with a less comprehensive agreement rather than risk collapsing the negotiations.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that the U.S. side had so far not provided sufficient assurances in terms of when and how sanctions would be lifted.
Baghaei said Tehran was still reviewing the U.S. proposal, and pushed back somewhat on the U.S. claim its offer was “acceptable” to Iran.
The new U.S. proposal is likely to alarm Netanyahu and his aides, who have been lobbying their U.S. counterparts hard to accept only the most restrictive possible deal with Iran.
President Trump cautioned Netanyahu not to do anything that would harm the negotiations, as Axios reported.
Netanyahu advocated military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities and has been preparing to strike swiftly if the talks collapse.
U.S. officials are concerned he might even make his move without a green light from Trump.
The U.S. offer is similar in many key respects to the 2015 Iran deal, though it differs in some aspects. Trump withdrew from the Obama-era deal in 2018.
What’s next: A sixth round of nuclear talks is expected to be scheduled in the coming days.
First published by Axios
