Iran’s Counterproposal “Does Not Meet” US Demands on Enrichment
the revised Iranian counterproposal handed to the US through Pakistan on Monday “does not appear to meet US demands”. A senior US official and a source briefed on the matter told Axios that Iran’s counterproposal does not contain any commitment about suspending uranium enrichment or handing over its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium — the central US demand. The US official said the Trump administration considers Iran’s proposal “insufficient”. IRGC-affiliated media said “major disagreements” remain and that Iran would never accept “an end to the war in return for nuclear commitments”.
The US demands, ISW reports, are that Iran must transfer its highly enriched uranium to the United States, dismantle its nuclear facilities and pause uranium enrichment for at least 20 years. Iran’s position, articulated by IRGC Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari on 11 May and re-stated this week, is that any deal must include an end to the war on “all fronts”, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, compensation for war-related damages and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. ISW’s 17 May framing remains in place: “The United States and Iran continue to pursue fundamentally incompatible negotiating positions.” The two-or-three-day Gulf-requested pause is the operational test.