White House says sent 'acceptable' nuclear deal proposal to Iran: US media

WASHINGTON: The United Sates sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House says is “acceptable” and in its “best interest” to accept, US media reported on Saturday.

It came shortly after a UN report said the Islamic republic had stepped up production of highly enriched uranium.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was presented with “elements of a US proposal” by his Omani counterpart during his visit to Tehran on Saturday.

“Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the New York Times reported.

The proposal was described as a series of bullet points rather than a full draft, according to the New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges.

It calls on Iran to stop all enrichment of uranium and proposes creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power, which would include Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, as well as the United States.

Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.

Araghchi had said Saturday that Iran considers nuclear weapons “unacceptable.”

His remarks came a day after Trump said Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon,” while expressing hope of striking a deal soon.

According to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by AFP, Iran has sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent.