Iran has called on the United States to provide a clear and binding guarantee that sanctions will be lifted as part of ongoing negotiations over its nuclear programme. The demand was made on Monday by foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, who criticised Washington for avoiding clarity on the issue.
“We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted,” Baqaei said during a press conference in Tehran. “So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue.”
The statement follows a report from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, which confirmed that Iran has increased its production of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — edging closer to the 90 percent threshold required for nuclear weapons.
The nuclear negotiations come following ongoing tensions between Tehran and Washington. Steve Witkoff, the US envoy involved in the talks, recently told Breitbart News that the American position remains firm against Iranian uranium enrichment. “An enrichment programme can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That’s our red line. No enrichment,” he said.
Despite the stalemate, Iran has insisted it will continue to enrich uranium regardless of whether a formal agreement is reached. “With or without a deal,” Iranian officials say, enrichment will continue.
According to reports over the weekend, the United States has presented Iran with a new nuclear proposal, which the White House has described as “acceptable” and in Tehran’s “best interest” to accept. Citing unnamed sources, The New York Times said the deal would require Iran to halt all enrichment activities and includes the formation of a regional group focused on developing peaceful nuclear energy.
Iran and the United States have so far held five rounds of indirect negotiations aimed at reviving a broader nuclear agreement to replace the 2015 deal that former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.