Tehran makes it clear that it will not endorse the latest US proposal that emerged during last month’s fifth round of negotiations.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced plans to submit a counterproposal for a nuclear agreement to the United States.
During a weekly press briefing, Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman for the ministry, expressed dissatisfaction with the US proposal, informing reporters that Iran intends to deliver its alternative framework through the mediation of Oman.
This statement represents the first public acknowledgment from Tehran regarding its rejection of the US proposal, which was discussed in the fifth round of negotiations last month. Previously, Iran had indicated that it received “elements” of a proposal, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that the text contained “ambiguities”.
Baghaei criticized the US offer as “lacking elements” that reflect the progress made in prior discussions, although he refrained from providing specifics.
“We will soon put forth our own proposed plan to the US via Oman once it is fully finalized,” he stated.
According to Baghaei, the current US proposal does not address the lifting of sanctions—an essential demand for Tehran, which has suffered under these restrictions for years.
Five Rounds of Negotiations
Since April, Tehran and Washington have engaged in talks aimed at formulating a new nuclear accord to replace the previous agreement abandoned by US President Donald Trump in 2018.
The two long-time adversaries remain locked in a diplomatic impasse over Iran’s uranium enrichment, which Tehran defends as an “inalienable” right, while Washington labels it a “red line.”
After resuming his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign, Trump has made it clear that any new deal would not permit Iran to continue uranium enrichment.
In a recent address, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed the US offer as contrary to Iran’s interests, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to enriching uranium domestically—a move seen by Western powers as a potential step toward developing nuclear weapons. Iran contends that its nuclear endeavors are solely for peaceful applications.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is scheduled to hold a Board of Governors meeting from Monday to Friday in Vienna, where Iran’s nuclear activities will be a primary topic of discussion.
This meeting follows the release of an IAEA report critiquing Iran’s “less than satisfactory” cooperation, especially regarding past instances of nuclear material discovered at undisclosed sites.
Iran, in turn, has denounced the IAEA report as biased, asserting it is based on “forged documents” supplied by Israel.
As for the timeline of the next round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington, Baghaei indicated that no date has yet been established.