DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said Tuesday it submitted a “written response” to what has been described as a final roadmap for restoring its torn nuclear deal with world powers.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA did not elaborate on the substance of its response, but suggested that Tehran would not yet accept the European Union-brokered proposal, despite warnings that there would be no further negotiations.
“The differences lie in three issues, in which the United States has expressed its verbal flexibility in two cases, but it should be included in the text,” the IRNA report said. “The third issue is related to ensuring the continuation of (the agreement), which depends on the realism of the United States.”
Tehran under hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly tried to blame Washington for the delay in reaching a deal. Monday was reported to be a deadline for Iran’s response.
The EU did not immediately acknowledge that Iran had submitted its response. The EU has been the intermediary in the indirect talks.
From Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US would share its own response with the EU.
“We agree, however, with the fundamental point (of the EU), which is that what could be negotiated has been negotiated,” Price said.
He added that Iran had made “unacceptable demands” that go beyond the text of the 2015 nuclear deal, which saw Iran sharply limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
“If Iran wants these sanctions lifted, it will have to change its underlying behavior,” Price said. “They will have to change the dangerous activities that led to these sanctions in the first place.”