The White House confirmed on Saturday that the US has presented Iran with a new nuclear deal proposal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reported receiving “elements of a US deal” from his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, during a recent visit to Tehran.
This follows a UN nuclear watchdog report indicating Iran’s further escalation of enriched uranium production, a key component in nuclear weapons development. The report highlights a concerning trend.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that accepting the proposal is in Iran’s best interest, emphasizing President Trump’s firm stance against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. She confirmed that a comprehensive proposal, delivered by President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, has been submitted.
Araghchi, in a post on X, indicated Iran will respond to the proposal in accordance with its national interests and principles. Specific details of the US proposal remain undisclosed.
The IAEA report, obtained by the BBC, reveals Iran possesses over 400kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity— nearing weapons-grade levels (90%). This surpasses the purity required for civilian use and, if further refined, could yield approximately 10 nuclear weapons, making Iran the only non-nuclear state producing uranium at this scale.
While Iran maintains its program’s peaceful nature, the US aims to curtail its nuclear capabilities. Oman-mediated talks between the two nations, ongoing since April, have shown optimism, yet key disagreements persist, particularly regarding Iran’s future enrichment activities.
Despite negotiations, the IAEA report shows no slowdown in Iran’s enrichment efforts. The report estimates Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for roughly one nuclear weapon monthly over the last three months. US officials suggest Iran could produce weapons-grade material in under two weeks and potentially assemble a bomb within months if it chose to do so.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, however, the IAEA’s inability to verify this stems from Iran’s refusal to grant access to senior inspectors and address past questions about its nuclear history.
Following the US withdrawal from the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement, President Trump seeks a new deal. The JCPOA, signed by Iran and six world powers, aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump deemed the JCPOA inadequate, citing its non-permanence and failure to address Iran’s ballistic missile program.
The re-imposition of US sanctions under a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed to compel Iran to renegotiate. Since then, Iran has consistently exceeded the JCPOA’s limits on its nuclear program. Trump has previously threatened military action against Iranian nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails.
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