Negotiations have gotten into the “expert” level – meaning the two sides are trying to see if they can reach any agreement on the details of any possible deal. But one major sticking point remains Iran’s enrichment of uranium, which Tehran insists it must be allowed to do and the Trump administration increasingly insists the Islamic Republic must give up.
Trump discusses proposal on Air Force One
Trump made the comment aboard Air Force One as he ended his trip to the United Arab Emirates, the last stop on his three-nation tour of the Middle East that also included Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
At nearly every event he attended in the region, he insisted that Iran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb – something American intelligence agencies assess Tehran is not actively pursuing though its programme is on the cusp of being able to weaponise.
A reporter asked Trump: “On Iran, has the US given them a formal proposal? Has Steve Witkoff handed that over?” “They have a proposal,” Trump responded. “But most importantly, they know they have to move quickly, or something bad is going to happen.” Trump did not elaborate on the substance of the proposal and Iran did not immediately acknowledge having it.
On Thursday, Araghchi spoke to journalists at the Tehran International Book Fair and said that Iran did not have any proposal from the Americans yet.
Araghchi also criticised what he called conflicting and inconsistent statements from the Trump administration, describing them as either a sign of disarray in Washington or a calculated negotiation strategy.
Witkoff at one point suggested that Iran could enrich uranium at 3.67 per cent, then later began saying that all Iranian enrichment must stop.
Friday night, Araghchi wrote on the social platform X: “Iran has not received any written proposal from the United States, whether directly or indirectly.”
“In the meantime, the messaging we-and the world-continue to receive is confusing and contradictory,” he added. “Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes.”
Talks have been held in Oman and Rome
Iranian and American officials have been in Oman and Rome for the negotiations, always mediated by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, a trusted interlocutor between the two nations. The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the US has imposed on the Islamic Republic, closing in on half a century of enmity.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s programme if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Meanwhile, Israel has threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities on their own if it feels threatened, further complicating tensions in the Mideast already spiked by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
