The Islamic Republic has reportedly proposed an alternative to Trump’s demand that it halt uranium enrichment.
Iran has proposed setting up a joint nuclear enrichment venture with Arab countries and US investment, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing four Iranian officials familiar with the matter.
The plan, reportedly presented by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting with American envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman on Sunday, was intended as an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s demand that Tehran completely dismantle its nuclear facilities.
A spokesman for Witkoff, Eddie Vasquez, denied the report, telling the NYT that a joint venture “was never floated or discussed.” The US and Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1980.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed this week that demands for a complete shutdown of the country’s nuclear program were “unacceptable.”
“From our perspective, (uranium) enrichment is something that absolutely must continue, and there’s no room for compromise about that,” Araghchi said earlier this month.
Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 UN-backed nuclear deal during his first term in office, accusing the Islamic Republic of secretly violating the agreement. Tehran has denied any wrongdoing but has since rolled back its own commitments and increased its stockpile of enriched uranium.
Although both sides described the four rounds of Omani-mediated talks as a positive step, tensions remain as the US and Iran continue to clash over the war in Gaza, as well as attacks on international shipping and on Israel by Yemen’s Houthis.
During his Middle East tour on Tuesday, Trump called Iran the “most destructive force” in the region and insisted that it must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
Image credit: Arman Taherian
