Iran has submitted an updated proposal to the United States aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict, according to a report by Axios citing a senior US official and a person briefed on the matter.
However, the White House has reportedly rejected the latest Iranian offer, describing it as “insufficient” to secure a broader peace agreement.
Shortly after the report emerged, Brent crude oil rebounded to $111 per barrel, rising by around 1.5%. The contract traded in a 52-week range of $58.72 to $126.41, while prices have surged nearly 70% over the past year amid heightened geopolitical tensions and supply concerns.
According to Axios, Trump is expected to meet his top national security advisers in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss possible military options.
“The clock is ticking,” Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Sunday, before Washington received Tehran's latest proposal. “If Iran doesn't show flexibility, they are going to get hit much harder,” he said.
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The latest Iranian counter-offer was reportedly delivered to the U.S. on Sunday night through Pakistani mediators. However, the senior U.S. official quoted by Axios said the proposal contained only “token improvements” over the previous version.
While the revised proposal reportedly expands on Iran's commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons, it does not include concrete commitments on suspending uranium enrichment or transferring its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the report said.
Iranian state media had claimed the U.S. was willing to ease some oil sanctions as part of the talks. However, the U.S. official denied any such concession without reciprocal steps from Tehran.
“No sanctions relief will happen ‘for free' without reciprocal action by Iran,” the official said.
“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 official added.
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“It's time for the Iranians to throw bit of candy out. We need some real, sturdy, and granular conversation (regarding the nuclear program). If that's not gonna happen, we will have a conversation through bombs, which will be a shame,” the official was quoted as saying.
Axios further reported that the U.S. and Iran are currently engaged in indirect negotiations rather than direct talks on the substance of a possible agreement. The U.S. side believes Iran's decision to submit a revised proposal, despite only modest changes, indicates concern in Tehran over the possibility of further U.S. military action.
Iran, however, has maintained that it is Washington that is under pressure to secure a deal and that time remains on Tehran's side.
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