‘Not Acceptable to Us’: Iran Rejects U.S. Nuclear Proposal; IAEA Prepares to Censure the Regime

Latest Developments

• Iran Working on Counteroffer: The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected the Trump administration’s proposal regarding a new nuclear deal on June 9 while stating that it would soon offer a counterproposal. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei asserted that the U.S. proposal was “not acceptable to us” and claimed that it had no basis in ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. Instead, he indicated that Tehran is finalizing its own proposal, which he described as “reasonable, logical, and balanced,” and will be presented to Omani mediators.
• Unresolved Disagreements: Chief among Iran’s complaints against the U.S. proposal was its failure to resolve differences over whether Iran would be permitted to continue enriching uranium domestically, whether it must export its existing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium to another country, and what steps are necessary for lifting sanctions on Iran. President Donald Trump has insisted that Iran must dismantle its domestic nuclear enrichment program as part of any deal with the United States, while Iranian leaders have stated that Iranian nuclear enrichment is non-negotiable. The White House’s most recent proposal reportedly offered Iran U.S. assistance in building nuclear power reactors while permitting it to continue enriching uranium at lower levels only until a regional consortium-run nuclear enrichment facility begins to operate.
• IAEA to Censure Iran’s Nuclear Non-Compliance: The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, is expected to vote this week to censure Iran’s non-compliance with a multiyear investigation into its nuclear weapons activities. The IAEA reported on May 31 that Iran did not cooperate with its investigation into the regime’s sensitive work, which the IAEA determined included efforts to conduct final tests before building nuclear weapons.

FDD Expert Response

“Tehran is using negotiations to buy time, with no real intention of abandoning its nuclear program. The regime understands that so long as talks are ongoing, maximum pressure won’t be fully applied, the military option remains off the table, and maximum support for the people of Iran won’t materialize.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

“The IAEA issued its long-awaited finding: Iran is in non-compliance with its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations and is hiding nuclear material and equipment today. As Tehran inches closer to nuclear weapons, the agency also said it cannot determine whether Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. To hold the regime to account, the West has a short timeline to censure Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors and trigger the snapback of suspended UN Iran sanctions before their expiration in October.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“Analysis of the IAEA’s Comprehensive Iran NPT Safeguards Report May 2025,” by David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, and Andrea Stricker

“‘They Cannot Do Anything About This’: Khamenei Belittles U.S. Nuclear Proposal,” FDD Flash Brief

“Amid New IAEA Reports, U.S. and E3 to Push Resolution Declaring Iran in Breach of Non-Proliferation Obligations,” FDD Flash Brief

“Why Iran Must Be Denied Any Uranium Enrichment,” by Saeed Ghasseminejad