Iran has proposed the creation of a joint nuclear enrichment venture involving regional Arab countries and American investments as an alternative to Washington’s demand that it dismantle its nuclear program, according to four Iranian officials familiar with the plan.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, proposed the idea to an American special envoy, Steve Witkoff, when the two men held direct and indirect talks in Oman on Sunday, according to the four Iranian officials. They asked not to be named because they were discussing sensitive issues.
On Tuesday several Iranian media outlets published front-page accounts of Iran’s “new plan on the negotiating table.” One of those outlets was the newspaper Farhikhtegan, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps. It raised the question of whether the proposal was “a service or treason.”
Mr. Witkoff’s office, the State Department and the National Security Council did not respond to requests for comment about the negotiations.
It was not immediately clear how feasible a regional nuclear venture might be if it involved Iran and two of its biggest rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations for 45 years, and private American companies may also be reluctant to invest in Iran’s nuclear reactors.