Iran's nuclear focus is

**Source: Wall Street Journal**

Amid a new Rashomon-like situation within the U.S. government regarding Iran's uranium enrichment issue, Iran stands on the brink of rejecting the U.S. nuclear proposal.

According to CCTV News, Axios reported on June 2 that a U.S. nuclear proposal submitted to Iran on May 31 would allow Iran to conduct limited low-level uranium enrichment for an unspecified period.

This revelation sharply contrasts with the public stance of senior U.S. officials. U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Brett McGurk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously stated that the U.S. would not permit any Iranian uranium enrichment and demanded the complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear facilities.

President Trump himself has vacillated on this critical issue. Within the same day, he first declared that "Iran's enrichment facilities should either be bombed properly or bombed completely," then later stated he "had not decided whether to allow Iranian uranium enrichment under a new nuclear deal."

Facing these mixed signals, Trump clarified his position via social media on the evening of June 2: "Under any potential deal, the U.S. will not allow Iran to conduct any uranium enrichment."

Meanwhile, media reports indicate Iran is preparing to reject Washington's "zero enrichment" proposal outright—a refusal that could trigger a chain reaction including European pushes for harsher sanctions and even potential U.S.-Israeli joint military strikes.

**Tehran Prepares Full Rejection of U.S. Proposal**

Per CCTV News, between April 12 and May 23, Iran and the U.S. held five rounds of indirect negotiations on the nuclear issue, with significant disagreements persisting on core issues like uranium enrichment. Iran has repeatedly stated it "must retain uranium enrichment activities" and "will not yield an inch" on this matter.

After five rounds of talks, the U.S. finally presented its first written draft nuclear agreement, but the proposal deeply disappointed Tehran. Iranian diplomatic sources revealed the U.S. offered no concessions on Iran’s most critical demand—the right to continue domestic uranium enrichment—and provided no clear roadmap for lifting U.S. economic sanctions.

A senior Iranian diplomat disclosed: "Iran is drafting a negative response to the U.S. proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi unequivocally stated Tehran’s red line in Cairo: "If the goal of negotiations is to ensure Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, we can reach an agreement. But if the pursuit is unacceptable and unrealistic objectives aimed at depriving Iran of its right to peaceful nuclear activities, there will certainly be no deal."

**Sanctions and Military Threats: The Chain Reaction of Failed Talks**

A complete breakdown in negotiations would trigger a series of dangerous chain reactions. The E3—France, Germany, and the UK—plan to leverage an upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report to push for a Board of Governors vote reinstating UN sanctions in September. The report notes Iran continues high-purity uranium enrichment in violation of the 2015 agreement.

More gravely, failed talks could prompt U.S.-Israeli joint military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, potentially provoking Iranian retaliation and threatening the entire Middle East with renewed military conflict.

Media analysis suggests Iran might show restraint in its response to leave room for further negotiations. The currently viable compromise appears to be a U.S. statement allowing Iranian enrichment in principle, while Iran agrees not to enrich—at least not on its own soil—indefinitely.

The U.S. previously proposed Iran join a Middle Eastern uranium enrichment consortium with countries like Saudi Arabia, but such enrichment could not occur on Iranian territory. However, establishing this regional civilian nuclear project alliance would require immense trust between nations and acceptance of continuous external inspections.

Earlier signs suggested Trump might permit low-level Iranian enrichment if U.S. inspectors—not just UN teams—could access Iranian nuclear facilities. But this solution now appears to be fading.

Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, struck a harder line: "If a proposal is based on disregarding the enrichment principle, it is entirely unacceptable, inadmissible, unworthy of attention, and non-negotiable."

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