US Official: Iran's New Proposal is Insufficient and Warns of Resuming War

Translation by SadaNews - A senior US official and a source familiar with the matter told Axios that Iran has presented an updated proposal to reach an agreement to end the war, but the White House believes it is not a meaningful improvement and insufficient to reach a deal.

According to US officials, translated by SadaNews, President Trump wants to reach an agreement to end the war, but he is considering resuming it due to Iran's rejection of many of his demands and its refusal to make meaningful concessions regarding its nuclear program.
Two US officials added that Trump is expected to hold a meeting with senior national security officials in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options.

A senior US official stated that if Iran does not change its position, the US will have to continue negotiations "through bombs".

Trump told Axios in a phone call on Sunday, before the US received the subsequent Iranian offer, that "time is running out," and if Iran does not show flexibility, "they will face a much stronger blow".

The senior US official confirmed that the Iranian counterproposal, which was submitted to the US on Sunday night through Pakistani intermediaries, includes only symbolic improvements to the last version.

The new proposal includes more language about Iran's commitment not to seek a nuclear weapon, but does not include any detailed commitments regarding the suspension of uranium enrichment or the handover of its current stock of highly enriched uranium.

While Iranian state media reported that the US agreed to waive some of the oil sanctions imposed on Iran during negotiations, the US official stated that sanctions would not be eased "for free" without a similar action from Iran.

"We are not making significant progress. We are in a very dangerous position today. They are under pressure to respond in the right way," the senior US official said.

"It is time for the Iranians to take the initiative and make some concessions. We need serious, deep, and detailed dialogue [about the nuclear program]. If that does not happen, we will have to engage in dialogue through bombs, which is unfortunate."

The senior US official stated that the US and Iran are not engaged in direct negotiations regarding the substance of the agreement, but are involved in indirect talks to try to reach a consensus on the nature of these negotiations.

The US official claimed that the fact that Iran is presenting a new counteroffer, despite the very modest changes, indicates that the Iranians are concerned about further US military action.