It was the first time that White House envoy Steve Witkov had presented a written proposal to Iranians since nuclear talks began in early April.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut has returned the proposal to Tehran for consultation with leaders of the Islamic Revolution, said Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, President Masuud Pezeshkian and other senior officials.
President Trump said he presented Iranians with “oolive branches” on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, but emphasized that “this is not an eternal offer. It’s the time they make a choice.”
“Trump talks about olive branches that we’ve never seen before. It’s all barbed wire,” a top advisor to the leader of the Islamic Revolution told NBC News on Wednesday.
In the first round of the lecture, Aragut gave Witkov a written document containing some Iranian proposals. Witkoff told Araghchi it was too early and he wanted to build a relationship of trust first, a source with knowledge of the meeting said.
In a third round talk in late April, Araghchi gave Witkoff the latest document containing Iranian ideas for nuclear deals. This time, Witkov has taken the document.
A team of US experts studied it and sent Iranians a list of questions and requests for clarification. The Iranians answered and added their own questions, two sources said.
Meanwhile, Witkov and his team have prepared a US proposal to lay out the Trump administration’s parameters for Iran’s private nuclear program and surveillance and verification requirements, sources said.
rhm/