A person familiar with the matter was quoted by the news site as saying the offer was, “more than anything, about trying to get the conversation started.”
But Iran rejected the offer bluntly, with the state-run Press TV saying on its website: “A senior Iranian official tells Press TV that Tehran will stop its 20-percent uranium enrichment only if the US lifts ALL its sanctions on Iran first.”
An unnamed senior US administration official had said earlier in response to the Politico report that “we have been clear that we are ready to pursue a mutual return” to the 2015 deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program. The official did not explicitly confirm or deny the report.
“We have also been open that we are talking with our [international] partners… about the best way to achieve this, including through a series of initial, mutual steps. We have been looking at options for doing so, including with indirect conversations through our European partners,” the official said.
The report also said that earlier this year, the US floated releasing a small amount of frozen Iranian assets if Iran stopped enriching uranium to 20% in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran, however, rejected the offer, saying it would only do so for a month if the US ended all sanctions on Tehran.
There have not yet been direct talks between Biden administration officials and Iran, with the proposals for launching negotiations mainly relayed by European intermediaries, according to Politico. READ MORE
