Iran Rejects US Proposal to Halt Uranium Enrichment... "Sanctions Must Be Lifted First"

US Rejects $1 Billion Sanctions Relief Proposal
Refuses Meeting with US Representative, Calls It "Absurd Proposal"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Joint Commission meeting of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), attended by all parties including the United States and Iran, is reported to be facing difficulties in negotiations from the very first day. The U.S. proposed a deal to lift some of the frozen assets under sanctions on Iran on the condition that Iran halt enriched uranium production, but Iran is said to have immediately rejected the offer. The Iranian representative has refused to even meet face-to-face with the U.S. representative, reiterating that the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iran is a precondition for the talks, making swift negotiations between the two sides unlikely.

According to foreign media including Bloomberg on the 6th (local time), at the JCPOA Joint Commission meeting held in Vienna, Austria, Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran attending as the Iranian representative, stated, "The lifting of U.S. sanctions is the most necessary and priority measure for restoring the agreement," and added, "We rejected the U.S.'s unreasonable proposal." Earlier, the U.S. reportedly proposed a deal to Iran offering to release $1 billion (about 1.12 trillion KRW) in frozen assets if Iran stopped enriching uranium to 20%.

Deputy Minister Araghchi emphasized, "Iran is ready to halt nuclear programs that deviate from the current agreement and return to full implementation of the nuclear deal once economic sanctions are lifted," and added, "Dialogue with other participating countries besides the U.S. was constructive." It is known that Deputy Minister Araghchi held separate face-to-face talks with representatives of other participating countries excluding the U.S.

With Iran reiterating its existing position from the first day of the talks and rejecting the U.S. proposal, negotiations are expected to face even greater difficulties. According to Politico, Iran has currently produced about 50 kg of uranium enriched to 20%. Considering that typically 200 to 250 kg of uranium enriched to 20% is required for one nuclear weapon, Politico reported that the U.S. side is likely to face increasing time pressure in the negotiations going forward.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.