DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran is poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said on Monday, dismissing it as a “non-starter” that fails to address Tehran’s interests or soften Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment.

“Iran is drafting a negative response to the US proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the US offer,” the senior diplomat, who is close to Iran’s negotiating team, told Reuters.

The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington.

After five rounds of discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, several obstacles remain.

Among them are Iran’s rejection of a US demand that it commit to scrapping uranium enrichment and its refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium — possible raw material for nuclear bombs.

The United States, Israel and Western countries have long accused Iran — which vows to destroy Israel — of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied, insisting it needs uranium for civilian power production. However, Iran has been enriching uranium up to 60%, a level that has no civilian uses and is just below weapons grade.

It has also obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and has expanded its ballistic missile capabilities, while several officials have warned that it........

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