“National independence means that the Iranian nation stands on its own feet," the supreme leader said in speech commemorating the founder of the republic, adding that "a nuclear program without enrichment is useless."
An official from an Arab state revealed that the Americans are proposing to transfer uranium enrichment to a facility that would be built on an island in the Gulf, though it's doubtful Tehran will agree.
Officials believe Iran will reject parts of the proposal and agree to others. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi directed a threat toward Israel, warning it would “regret it” if it attempted to attack Iran. Meanwhile, an Iranian lawmaker issued a threat against the United States, stating that 50,000 American troops are within direct range of Iranian weapons.
According to documents obtained by Axios, the US proposal includes “preliminary ideas” for discussion in the next round of talks. Iran would be required to halt all new research and development on centrifuges, and the agreement would focus on establishing a regional enrichment consortium.
The directive to suspend action against Iran was distributed to the National Security Council, the Treasury Department and the State Department. It also affects US policy toward China, which purchases 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Some officials view the move as merely a slowdown to reassess future measures, while others fear it signals a broader suspension.
Given the advanced stage of negotiations, sources indicated little expectation for expanding the scope of topics under discussion, CNN reported.
Tensions between the White House and Jerusalem surfaced publicly as President Donald Trump confirmed that he had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to undermine nuclear negotiations with Iran.
According to Trump administration officials who spoke with the NYT, the Israeli leader made it clear Israel might take out enrichment facilities in Islamic republic, leading to a rare standoff between the allies.
The office of President Donald Trump announced that a sixth round of negotiations on a new nuclear agreement with Iran will resume in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Wednesday. Members of the Iranian parliament’s rejected any compromise over Iran’s ability to continue enriching uranium.
The US has not yet abandoned its ultimate demand that Iran halt all uranium enrichment on its soil, according to a senior American official. The official said the possibility of a preliminary agreement had been raised, under which Iran would take steps indicating its willingness to completely renounce nuclear weapons. The administration is weighing the option of delaying some of the punitive measures currently in place against Tehran.
