WASHINGTON (CP) – President Donald Trump announced Monday that Iran has rejected key elements of a USA proposal aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff, with Tehran insisting on continuing uranium enrichment on Iranian soil despite American concerns about weapons development capabilities.
President Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that Iran appeared to have rejected a key element of an American proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock in the negotiations over the future of the country’s nuclear program. The rejection centers on Iran’s determination to maintain uranium enrichment capabilities within its borders, which the trump administration views as unacceptable due to proliferation risks. Iran wants to continue enriching uranium on Iranian soil, the president said, a step that would give it continued access to the fuel that could be used to make a nuclear weapon.
President Trump expressed frustration with Iran’s negotiating position during remarks following an economic event with business and Wall Street leaders at the White House. “They’re just asking for things that you can’t do,” Mr. Trump said at the end of an economic event with business and Wall Street leaders. “They don’t want to give up what they have to give up. You know what that is: They seek enrichment.” The President emphasized that any level of uranium enrichment on Iranian territory remains unacceptable to the USA, representing a firm stance on preventing potential weapons development.
Despite the current impasse, diplomatic engagement continues with scheduled meetings this week. Mr. Trump said U.S. and Iranian officials would meet on Thursday, but he did not say where or whether the session would be headed by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The President indicated that Iran has provided formal responses to recent USA proposals but characterized their position as unworkable. The president gave few specifics on Iran’s response to Mr. Witkoff’s most recent proposal, but said: “They have given us their thoughts on the deal, and I said, you know, it’s just not acceptable for it.”
The current nuclear crisis stems from Iran’s rapid advancement of uranium enrichment capabilities since the trump administration withdrew from the flawed 2015 nuclear agreement. Iran is rapidly producing near-bomb-grade uranium, as part of a program it insists is solely to produce fuel for civilian power plants. The Trump administration had wavered in its first months about whether to permit low-level enrichment, which Iran was able to do under a 2015 agreement with the Obama administration until Mr. Trump scrapped it three years later. The Obama-era agreement had significant weaknesses that allowed Iran to maintain enrichment capabilities while receiving sanctions relief.
President Trump outlined the USA’s innovative approach to resolving the nuclear standoff through regional cooperation mechanisms. As The New York Times reported, the Trump administration had proposed a preliminary arrangement that would have permitted Iran to continue to enrich uranium at low levels until an international consortium, which would include Iran and Arab states, began manufacturing fuel for customers around the Middle East. The idea was to block Iran’s ability to seize the fuel, enrich it to bomb-grade levels and produce a nuclear weapon. This creative proposal would provide Iran access to nuclear fuel for civilian purposes while preventing weapons development through international oversight.
The President emphasized the stakes involved in the ongoing negotiations while maintaining coordination with key ally Israel. Mr. Trump said he had spoken on Monday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who had been pressing Mr. Trump several months ago to join Israel in bombing the Iranian facilities. Mr. Trump said later that the request was “inappropriate” while he was engaged in negotiations. President Trump stressed the urgency of reaching a diplomatic solution. Mr. Trump told reporters: “We can’t have enrichment. We want just the opposite, and so far, they’re not there. I hate to say that, because the alternative is a very, very dire one.” The trump administration remains committed to preventing Iranian nuclear weapons development while pursuing diplomatic solutions that protect USA national security interests and regional stability.