Iran preparing nuclear counterproposal as Trump warns he is considering limited military strikes | Iran
Iran’s foreign minister said he expected a draft counteroffer to be ready within days after nuclear talks with the United States this week, while Donald Trump said he was considering limited military strikes.
Speaking to Reuters, two US officials said that US military planning against Iran has reached an advanced stage, and there are options such as targeting individuals as part of the attack and even following the leadership change in Tehran on Trump’s orders.
The US president on Thursday gave Tehran a 10- to 15-day deadline to strike a deal to resolve its long-running nuclear dispute or face “really bad things” amid a US military buildup that has fueled fears of a broader war in the Middle East.
Asked on Friday whether he was considering a limited strike on Iran to force the deal, Trump told reporters at the White House: “I think I can say I’m considering it.” Later, when asked about Iran at a White House press conference, Trump added: “They better make a fair deal.”
Following indirect talks with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in Geneva this week, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said the parties had agreed on key “guiding principles” but that did not mean a deal was imminent.
Araqchi said on US cable news network MS Now that there was a draft counteroffer that could be ready in the next two or three days for senior Iranian officials to review, and further US-Iran talks could be possible within a week.
The official added that military action would complicate efforts to reach an agreement.
After the United States and Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities and some military facilities in June, Trump began threatening attacks again in January as Tehran suppressed widespread protests with lethal force.
Addressing Friday’s crackdown, Trump said there is a difference between the Iranian people and the country’s leaders. He claimed that “32,000 people were killed in a relatively short period of time”; these figures could not immediately be confirmed.
“This is a very, very sad situation,” Trump said, adding that threats to attack Iran led the leadership to abandon plans for mass executions two weeks ago.
“They were going to hang 837 people. So I promised them that if you hang one person, even one person, you will be shot right then and there,” he said.
US-based group Hrana, which monitors the human rights situation in Iran, has recorded 7,114 confirmed deaths and says 11,700 more are under investigation.
Hours after Trump’s statements on the death toll, Araqchi said the Iranian government had already released a “comprehensive list” of all 3,117 people killed in the incidents.
“If anyone doubts the accuracy of our data, please speak with evidence,” he said in X.
Araqchi did not give an exact timing for when the Iranians would submit their overtures to Witkoff and Kushner, but said he believed a diplomatic agreement could be reached and carried out “in a very short period of time.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated concerns about increased rhetoric and increased military activities in the region.
Speaking to MS Now, Araqchi said that during the Geneva talks, the US did not seek zero uranium enrichment and Iran did not offer to suspend enrichment.
“What we’re talking about now is how to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and remains peaceful forever,” he said.
He added, without giving further details, that technical and political “confidence-building measures” would be put in place to ensure the program remains peaceful in return for action on sanctions.
Asked about Araqchi’s comments, a White House official said: “The president has made clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to produce them, and they cannot enrich uranium.”
