Iran and U.S. diverge in views on sanctions relief, senior Iranian official tells Reuters

2026-02-22 10:41:20

Protesters carry a large “Lion and Sun” pre-Iranian Revolution national flag of Iran, during the ‘March for a Free Iran’, held by Britain’s Iranian Committee for Freedom and Stop The Hate, in London, Britain, on Jan. 18, 2026.

Toby Melville | Reuters

Iran and the United States have differing views over the scope and mechanism to lift sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday, adding that new talks were planned in early March.

The official said Tehran could seriously consider a combination of exporting part of its highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile, diluting the purity of its HEU and a regional consortium for enriching uranium, but in return Iran’s right to “peaceful nuclear enrichment” must be recognised.

“The negotiations continue and the possibility of reaching an interim agreement exists,” the official said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that he expected to have a draft counterproposal ready within days following nuclear talks with the United States this week, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering limited military strikes.

The senior official said Tehran will not hand over control of its oil and mineral resources but U.S. companies can always participate as contractors in Iran’s oil and gas fields.

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