Iran demands US guarantee it will lift sanctions in nuclear talks

Iran demands US guarantee it will lift sanctions in nuclear talks
By Ahmad PARHIZI
Tehran (AFP) June 2, 2025

Iran pressed the United States on Monday for guarantees that it will drop sanctions as a condition for a nuclear deal, after the White House reportedly sent a proposal it deemed "acceptable".

With Iran and the United States engaged in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme since April, Washington's proposal for a deal came after a leaked UN report said Iran had stepped up production of highly enriched uranium.

Iran's top diplomat and lead nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi was due to meet the head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Cairo on Monday, a day after the report was leaked.

Iran has rejected the report, warning it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions "exploit" the report.

The United States and Western countries have accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied, insisting it needs uranium for civilian power production.

Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received "elements" of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman.

On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference in Tehran: "We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted...

"So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue," he added.

He also condemned the report and threatened an Iranian response.

The report, Baqaei said, was the result of "pressure exerted by certain European countries on the agency".

"If they want to further exploit this political report... they will surely have to face a proportionate response from Iran," he added.

- 'Red line' -

The remarks come after a report by the UN agency showed Iran has stepped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent -- close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.

The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that the administration of President Donald Trump would oppose any enrichment.

"An enrichment programme can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That's our red line. No enrichment," Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News.

Iran has vowed to keep enriching uranium "with or without a deal" on its nuclear programme.

The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called "acceptable" and in its "best interest" to accept, US media reported on Saturday.

The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power.

Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.

Iran warns of retaliation if Europeans 'exploit' UN nuclear report
Tehran (AFP) June 1, 2025 - Iran on Sunday warned it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions "exploit" a UN report showing Tehran has stepped up production of highly enriched uranium.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.

Iran's total amount of enriched uranium now exceeds 45 times the limit authorised by a landmark 2015 agreement with world powers, and is estimated at 9,247.6 kilograms, according to the confidential IAEA report seen by AFP.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement he had told IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in a phone call that "Iran will respond to any inappropriate action by the European parties" to the 2015 agreement, referring to Britain, France and Germany.

The European trio have warned they could reimpose sanctions if they deemed Iran's nuclear programme a threat to the continent's security.

Araghchi urged Grossi in their Saturday call to stop "parties from exploiting" the nuclear watchdog report "to advance their political objectives", according to the statement.

The IAEA Board of Governors is set to review Iran's nuclear activities in its upcoming quarterly meeting in Vienna starting June 9.

Iran rejected the IAEA report, the latest move in years-long efforts to restrict its nuclear activities over fears that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The Islamic republic has denied seeking nuclear arms and says it needs the uranium for civilian power production.

The report was leaked as Iran and the United States have been engaged in negotiations towards a new nuclear deal, after Washington had unilaterally abandoned the agreement between Tehran and world powers in 2018, during President Donald Trump's first term.

- US proposal -

Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received "elements" of a US proposal for a potential nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman.

Iran would respond "in line with the principles, national interests and rights" of its people, Araghchi added in a post on X.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the United States "has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it's in their best interest to accept it", the New York Times reported.

The proposal was described as a series of bullet points rather than a full draft, according to the New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges.

It calls on Iran to stop all enrichment of uranium and proposes creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power, which would include Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, as well as the United States.

Trump adopted a "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran after withdrawing from the 2015 agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions which the deal had lifted in return for UN-monitored restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities.

Iran has ramped up its nuclear activities since the collapse of the deal, and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the deal's 3.67 percent cap but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.

The 2015 deal provides for the possibility of UN sanctions being reimposed through a mechanism called "snapback" if Iran fails to fulfil its commitments, an option that expires in October.