The White House has stated that the United States continues to reject any uranium enrichment inside Iran, with President Donald Trump allegedly refusing to agree to a “wish list” submitted by Tehran. Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, suggested on Wednesday that the 10-point proposal put forward by Iran as the basis for a ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran differs from the plan published by the government in Tehran, casting doubt on the sincerity of the Iranian regime's overtures.

The initial Iranian plan purportedly included US acceptance of Iran’s right to enrich uranium, sanctions relief, and a permanent end to attacks on Iran. However, Leavitt asserted: “The president’s red lines, namely the end of Iranian enrichment in Iran, have not changed.” Domestic uranium enrichment has been a major sticking point in previous talks between Tehran and Washington, highlighting the deep-seated tensions between the two governments.

While Iran claims it is not seeking nuclear weapons, it insists on enriching its own uranium as a national right, a stance the Trump administration has aggressively opposed by pushing for the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear programme altogether. After more than 38 days of conflict, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire, under which the US will stop its attacks and Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure at the outset sent global energy prices soaring, underscoring the economic instability fueled by the war.

Leavitt claimed that Iran’s initial proposal was “literally thrown in the garbage” by Trump’s team, but Tehran later submitted a revised plan. She dismissed the idea, stating: “The idea that President Trump would ever accept an Iranian wish list as a deal is completely absurd.” Trump, however, said late on Tuesday that the Iranian proposal was a “workable basis on which to negotiate,” revealing potential contradictions within the US regime's stance.

In a critical development, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cast doubt over the fate of the talks on Wednesday. He accused the US and Israel of violating the ceasefire by continuing the war in Lebanon, failing to stop drones from entering Iranian airspace, and denying Tehran’s right to uranium enrichment. Ghalibaf wrote on X: “Now, the very ‘workable basis on which to negotiate’ has been openly and clearly violated, even before the negotiations began. In such a situation, bilateral negotiations are unreasonable,” highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire and the broader geopolitical friction.

Leavitt, echoing the Pentagon, claimed victory against Iran, though Iran also declared it won the war, pointing to the conflicting narratives from both sides. She stated: “Their navy, their missiles, their defence industrial base, and their desire and their plan to build a nuclear bomb inside their country is no longer going to be allowed, can no longer happen, thanks to the remarkable success of Operation Epic Fury.” The Trump administration alleges that US and Israeli attacks nearly destroyed Iranian military capabilities, yet Iran continued to fire missiles and drones throughout the conflict, raising questions about the efficacy and costs of the military campaign.

Source: www.aljazeera.com