The United States has called Iran’s latest proposal to end the ongoing war “insufficient", according to a news report, adding to concerns that Washington will resume strikes on the Islamic Republic if it does not shift its position.
Axios, citing a senior US official and a source, reported that the White House believed Iran’s 14-point peace proposal was not a meaningful improvement and was “insufficient" for a deal, as it only contained token improvements from its last version.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Iran sent a new 14-point peace proposal to the US with terms that appeared similar to offers Washington has previously rejected.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan" but gave no details.
The US reaction comes as President Trump is reportedly considering resuming the war against Iran due to Tehran’s rejection of many of his demands and refusal to make meaningful concessions on its nuclear programme.
Trump is expected to convene his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options, as per US officials. An official told Axios that if Iran won’t shift its position, the US will have to continue the negotiations “through bombs".
“We are really not making a lot of progress. We are at a very serious place today. The pressure is on them to be responsive in the right way," the US official said. “It’s time for the Iranians to throw bit of candy out. We need some real, sturdy, and granular conversation (regarding the nuclear programme). If that’s not gonna happen, we will have a conversation through bombs, which will be a shame."
This came after the New York Times reported that the US and Israel are making preparations to resume military operations against Iran as early as this week amid stalled diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.
The new Iranian proposal included more words on its commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but it did not include detailed commitments about suspending uranium enrichment or handing over its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, as per the report.
Meanwhile, Iran claimed that the United States had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds held in foreign banks and temporarily waive off sanctions on Iran’s oil sector.
The negotiations have reached a critical point after repeatedly demanded Iran to reach a deal quickly or face severe consequences.
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