TEHRAN: Iran pressed the United States on Monday (Jun 2) 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 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.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas 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.
