Iran has demanded that the United States provide clear guarantees on sanctions relief as part of any new nuclear agreement between the two countries. According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, Washington has not provided sufficient clarity on how sanctions would be lifted, which is a major sticking point in the negotiations.
The US recently submitted a proposal that it described as “acceptable,” but Iran is reportedly skeptical about the offer. Unverified reports suggest that Tehran views the proposal as a “non-starter” and is preparing to reject it. Baghaei emphasized the need for guarantees regarding the “real end of the sanctions,” including details on “how and through what mechanism” they would be removed. “The American side has not yet provided the necessary clarity in this regard,” he said.
The nuclear talks between Iran and the US have been ongoing for seven weeks, with the US seeking assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. Meanwhile, Iran hopes to escape punishing sanctions that have battered its economy. US envoy Steve Witkoff has stated that President Donald Trump opposes Tehran continuing any enrichment, calling it a “red line”. However, Baghaei reiterated Iran’s intention to continue enriching uranium for “peaceful” purposes.
A leaked UN report shows that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched to 60 percent, which is significantly above the 4 percent needed for power production but short of the roughly 90 percent required for atomic weapons. Baghaei dismissed the report as biased, accusing unnamed Western countries of pressuring the UN to act against Iran’s interests.
The recent US proposal reportedly includes a call for Iran to end all enrichment, which Tehran has not yet accepted. “Receiving a text certainly does not mean accepting it, nor does it even mean that it is acceptable,” Baghaei said. An unnamed Iranian diplomat described the proposal as a “non-starter” because it does not soften the US’s stance on enrichment or offer a clear explanation of sanctions relief.
Iranian lawmakers have stressed that the country will only accept a fair agreement in nuclear talks with the US, and the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that talks were “one of the most professional rounds of negotiations” yet. The negotiations aim to replace the deal with the leading powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.