Iran says has received no written US proposal, directly or indirectly

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied claims about receiving a written message from the United States for a nuclear deal, saying the Islamic Republic’s right to peaceful enrichment remains in place.

“Iran has not received any written proposal from the United States, whether directly or indirectly,” Araghchi said in a post on his X account on Friday.

The post comes after US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had received an alleged proposal from his administration and cautioned about what he referred to as Tehran’s not heeding the urgency of a response.

“Yeah they have a proposal, but more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad, something bad is going to happen,” Trump told reporters.

In his post, Araghchi said Iran and the world continue to receive “confusing and contradictory” messaging.

“Iran nonetheless remains determined and straightforward: Respect our rights and terminate your sanctions, and we have a deal,” the top Iranian diplomat stated.

Throughout his previous tenure as the US president from 2017 to 2021, and his incumbency now, Trump has rarely abandoned his adversarial language concerning Iran.

He has maintained the discourse, although the two sides have been engaged in indirect talks since April.

Araghchi also responded to reports about Iran’s acceptance of temporary restrictions on how much uranium it enriches and to what level.

“Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes.” 

Enrichment, the Iranian foreign minister stated, is a right afforded to all other signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), too.

Araghchi said the great Iranian nation has shown its “power and fortitude” in the face of those who have attempted imposition.

“We ALWAYS welcome dialogue based on mutual respect and ALWAYS reject any diktat.”

Iranian authorities have unexceptionally rejected Washington’s intimidatory approach and warned about its contradiction with diplomacy.

On May 15, Araghchi said Iran would not dismantle any of its nuclear facilities — as repeatedly pursued by the US and some of its allies.

The top diplomat also asserted the nation’s right to enrich uranium, saying, “Defending the rights of the Iranian people in the nuclear field, including enrichment, is one of these principles and rights of the people that we will not compromise on.”

Iran has held four rounds of indirect talks with the US on a replacement for the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which have been generally described as positive by the two sides.

In 2018, Trump walked out of the landmark agreement that gave it sanctions relief in return for confidence-building restrictions on its nuclear activities.

Iran now wants guarantees that the US will remove all the sanctions and won’t again unilaterally derail the new deal.