The Biden administration intends to present a new proposal to Iran to return to nuclear negotiations "as soon as this week," US news site Politico reported on Monday.
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Politico cited two people familiar with the proposal, who said it requires Iran to reduce some nuclear activity, such as work on advanced centrifuges and enriching uranium to 20% purity. In exchange, Washington would offer some sanctions relief on the economically-hit Islamic republic.
According to one official, the details were still being worked out and that it wasn't at all certain Iran will accept the terms
The other source said the proposal was "more than anything, about trying to get the conversation started."
One reason for a sense of urgency among some US officials, according to the report, is the Iranian presidential election in June, which appears likely to result in the ascension of a more extreme and conservative president.
If the details of the report are accurate, it would mark a significant achievement for Tehran, which has accelerated uranium enrichment and installed advanced centrifuges as a strategy for combatting American sanctions and the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal. With that, Iran is still likely to reject the proposal, as it has said it wants the immediate removal of all economic sanctions.
In an email, Shahrokh Nazemi, the head of the press section at Iran's mission to the United Nations, told Politico that the "return of the US to the [nuclear deal] needs no specific proposal. It only requires a political decision by the US to go for the full and immediate implementation of its obligations under" the agreement.
The economic sanctions, meanwhile, have indeed exacted a heavy price from Iran, and on Monday an Iranian atomic energy official said the country was considering shutting down the Bushehr nuclear power plant because US banking restrictions have made it difficult for Iran to transfer money and procure necessary equipment.
Iranian civilians are also contending with some poultry and beef shortages and riots erupted earlier this year over rising fuel prices.
Biden and his top aides have said the US will not lift sanctions unless Iran returns to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. The US administration also has said it wants to build on the original agreement, crafting a "longer and stronger" deal that could cover topics outside of just Iran's nuclear program.
"The ball is really in their court to see if they want to take the path to diplomacy and returning to compliance with the agreement," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said of the Iranians.
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