Amid conflicting assessments over the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, American officials on Sunday rejected a Reuters report quoting an unnamed Iranian diplomat who claimed Tehran intended to reject the current US proposal outright. The officials said they believed Iran's response would be more nuanced, with agreement on some aspects of the proposal and objections to others.
"The talks may resume soon. We'll start with issues where the gaps are relatively small and explore ways to continue discussions on the more sensitive topics," said one American source, while reiterating that negotiations would not be open-ended and that all options, including military action, remained on the table.
Senior Israeli officials, by contrast, believe the core disagreement, over uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, will prevent a final agreement from being reached.
In Tehran, officials responded to the Reuters report with skepticism. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Tehran would only be swayed by an explicit and official policy change from Washington, not by anonymous media leaks. "Unfortunately, the American side has refused to clarify anything regarding sanctions relief," he said.
Last week, it was reported that negotiators were exploring a possible interim agreement under which Iran would suspend uranium enrichment for a limited time in exchange for partial sanctions relief. Recent Iranian statements and publications seem to suggest this option remains in play.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, currently visiting Cairo, directed threats at Israel, warning it would "deeply regret" any attempt to attack Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian lawmaker Mojtaba Zarei warned that 50,000 American troops in the region were within direct range of Iranian weapons.
Araghchi also said Iran's formal response to the US proposal was still being drafted, echoing the American assessment that a categorical rejection was unlikely.
Additionally, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the White House had instructed agencies to hold off on imposing new sanctions on Iran, a move interpreted as a possible goodwill gesture by Washington.
According to Iranian reports, Araghchi also spoke with German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul, expressing interest in expanding discussions with Germany, Britain and France. Tehran appears to be aiming to exploit rifts within the Western bloc and to soften the relatively tougher stances taken by Berlin and London compared to Washington.
Iran is particularly concerned about the prospect of the "snapback" mechanism being triggered this fall, which would reinstate heavy international sanctions.
