Iran delivers its response to draft nuclear deal proposal

After Iran’s Supreme National Security Council convened to discuss the latest draft deal proposed by the European Union to resume implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal, Tehran delivered its final response, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.

While no detail on the content of the response was indicated, IRNA said that "the Iranian negotiating team suggests that the disagreement is over three issues, two of which have been orally accepted by the US, but Iran insists on including them in the text."

Mohammad Marandi, an aide to Iran's negotiating team, stated in a tweet that the outstanding issues could be solved and a possible deal is close.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian cautioned on Monday -the proposed deadline for firming up a deal- that there were details in the arrangement that required further clarification.

"We have told them that our red lines should be respected," he said. "We have shown enough flexibility (...) We do not want to reach a deal that after 40 days, two months or three months fails to be materialised on the ground."

Negotiations between the US and Iran have been going on with intervals for a period of 16 months now.

Tehran seeks agreement on three particular issues:

It has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, to drop claims about Tehran's nuclear network, after the IAEA criticized Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found at three undeclared sites.

It seeks ultimate US guarantee that no US administration will renege on a revived pact. In 2018, the Trump administration decided to unilaterally leave the agreement.

It seeks the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, to be removed from the US "terror" list.