Iran and the United States are holding a new round of negotiations on the nuclear issue this week, as their public disagreement over uranium enrichment continues.
Meanwhile, Washington and three European countries submitted a resolution against Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, denouncing its weak cooperation on the nuclear issue, despite Tehran's warning that it would respond to any such resolution issued by the UN agency.
Tehran and Washington, which severed diplomatic relations more than four decades ago, have held five rounds of talks since April, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.
The two sides are seeking a new nuclear agreement to replace the 2015 agreement from which the United States withdrew. Washington and the Western parties want to ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons, a goal Tehran strongly denies seeking, and in return demands the lifting of sanctions crippling its economy.
Positions differ on the issue of Tehran's retention of the ability to enrich uranium. While the United States demands that Iran abandon these activities, the Islamic Republic considers them a non-negotiable "right," guaranteed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to which it is a signatory.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state that enriches uranium to a high level (60%), far exceeding the 3.67% limit set by the 2015 agreement between Tehran and major powers.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a statement on Tuesday that "the next round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States is scheduled to be held next Sunday in Muscat," the capital of the Sultanate of Oman.
There has been no immediate comment from the Sultanate, which has hosted some of the previous rounds, while US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the talks could be held on Thursday.
The five rounds of negotiations held by the two sides have been the highest-level contact between the two countries since Trump withdrew his country from the 2015 agreement during his first term, reimposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Trump expected the meeting to take place on Thursday, while a source familiar with the preparations said it was likely to take place on Friday or Saturday.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry revealed that Minister Abbas Araqchi, the head of the negotiating delegation, "will travel to Norway on Wednesday and Thursday" to attend the Oslo Forum.
After the fifth round on May 31, Iran said it had received "elements" of a US proposal for an agreement on the nuclear issue, but considered it to contain "many ambiguities."
Iran indicated on Monday that it would also submit a proposed agreement to the United States in the coming days.
The US text, the text of which has not yet been made public, did not mention the lifting of sanctions, which Tehran has made a priority, according to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday considered the US proposal "completely contrary" to Tehran's interests.
Despite the announced disagreement, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi denied that the negotiations had reached a dead end.
"I don't think the word 'dead end' is the right term," he said in an interview with the official IRNA news agency published Tuesday, stressing that "any negotiations at the international level... require a lot of patience to achieve a result."
Meanwhile, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States submitted a draft resolution against Iran to the IAEA Board of Governors, according to diplomatic sources on Tuesday.
Three diplomatic sources told AFP that the text "has been submitted" condemning Iran for its "non-compliance" with its nuclear program obligations. A vote is expected during a session at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on Wednesday evening.
The resolution calls on Iran to "urgently address its non-compliance" with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Adopting the resolution, which threatens to refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council if it does not take action in the coming weeks, would give the four countries the possibility of activating the "snapback mechanism," which allows the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, a provision included in the 2015 agreement, on the grounds of its violation of its terms. This clause expires in October.
Iran had threatened to reduce its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if a resolution in this direction were adopted.
The 2015 agreement was concluded between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia) plus Germany.
However, in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the agreement and reimposed US sanctions on Iran. A year later, Iran responded by gradually rolling back most of its core commitments under the agreement.
Israel, Iran's archenemy and a US ally, views Iran's nuclear program as a grave threat. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran vowed on Monday that it would respond to any such strike by targeting nuclear facilities in Israel, a country considered by experts to be the Middle East's sole nuclear power.
Tehran confirmed on Saturday that it had obtained massive amounts of classified information about Israel, including its missile and nuclear programs, in an intelligence operation.
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