US President Donald Trump’s administration is proposing an interim plan that would allow Iran to enrich uranium at low levels while it works out a more detailed plan with other countries aimed at blocking Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified Iranian and European officials.
According to the report, the US would facilitate the building of nuclear power reactors for the Islamic Republic as well as negotiate with surrounding countries to manage a consortium of enrichment facilities. Once Iran starts benefiting from the proposed changes, it would have to stop all nuclear enrichment within the country.
The outline of the deal was reportedly given to Tehran over the weekend. Iranian officials indicated on Monday that a response would come in several days.
The New York Times reported that this exchange between the US and Iran is the first concrete indication that the two countries can reach an agreement, potentially staving off a regional war in the Middle East.
However, after the report was released, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a Tuesday speech that Tehran will not bow to pressure by the United States to dismantle its nuclear program.
“They (the US) say you must dismantle everything you have, but no free human being will bow to oppression and injustice,” he said.
In the sidelines of a meeting on Monday in Egypt, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that there would be no deal without uranium enrichment.
“Without respecting our right to enrich uranium, there will be no agreement.”
Iran, US disagree on nuclear enrichment
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would not allow Iran to enrich any Uranium.
However, the proposed deal would allow Iran to continue enriching at a low level in the early years of the deal.
The consortium, the New York Times noted, would see countries like the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia allowing the production of low-grade enrichment facilities for powerplant fuel.
Iran still has a considerable weapons arsenal, and has threatened to attack countries in the region if its facilities are struck.
The report noted that at the time of publication, though the US and Jerusalem are in constant communication about the nuclear talks, it was unclear how Israel felt about the potential deal. Israeli officials have stressed their distrust of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities to the US administration, and some have reportedly suggested striking them multiple times.
Unnamed Iranian and European officials said that the wording of the deal, written by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, was intentionally vague about specific key issues, suggesting that more negotiations would occur later.
“Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it. Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the New York Times in a separate statement.
Witkoff’s strategy allegedly involves a consortium to provide nuclear fuel for Iran or any other neighboring country looking to develop a civilian nuclear program. Those interested would watch one another under the jurisdiction of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran has pushed for the consortium to be in its territory, which the US said is a non-starter. Previously, other Arab countries, namely Oman and Saudi Arabia, have floated the idea of building a nuclear enrichment facility on an island in the Persian Gulf.
The New York Times reported that this could give both Washington and Tehran a talking point: the US could say that enrichment would not be happening on Iranian soil, and Iran could say that it was still enriching uranium.
The unnamed Iranian officials said that Iran was open to accepting the idea to keep talks going, but that Iran might push for the island enrichment facilities to be on its islands in the gulf, like Kish or Qeshm.
The two Iranian officials interviewed noted that the deal did not state exact terms on dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.
One official familiar with internal deliberations told the New York Times that shuttering Iran’s two nuclear facilities, Natanz and Fordow, would be difficult to justify since they are seen as a source of national pride. Officials are concerned that shuttering the facilities would lead to hundreds of the nation’s top scientists leaving.
The report noted that the proposed deal did not mention which sanctions against Iran would be relieved, though officials have said that Tehran would need to see all sanctions removed before a deal is reached.
Analysts told the New York Times that Witkoff’s idea appears to be a win-win, but until its broader issues are ironed out, such as wether or not Iran can enrich uranium, a final deal remains at large.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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