According to Iranian state media on Sunday, the nation’s parliament speaker declared that the latest US nuclear proposal is unacceptable due to its failure to include the lifting of sanctions, indicating a major turning point in ongoing negotiations. Since April, five rounds of talks, mediated by Oman, have taken place between the two adversaries, 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.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker, conveyed in a televised address that “the US plan does not even mention the lifting of sanctions,” which he characterized as a sign of dishonesty. He further accused the Americans of attempting to impose a “unilateral” agreement, which Tehran has firmly stated it will not accept. Ghalibaf urged the American leader to adopt a different approach if a sincere agreement is truly sought.
Following the fifth round of discussions on May 31, 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.