ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iranian foreign ministry on Monday said that the recent American proposal for a nuclear deal did not reflect the results of their ongoing negotiations, adding that they will submit a more “reasonable” counter-proposal.

Through the mediation of Oman, the US and Iran have held five rounds of indirect talks since April, aimed at negotiating a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

Speaking at a presser on Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the US proposal “does not take into account the rights and interests of the Iranian people,” without going into detail about Tehran’s precise reservations about the plan.

“We will soon present our proposed plan to the other side through Oman after it is finalized. This plan is reasonable, logical, and balanced, and we recommend that the American side seize this opportunity and seriously consider it, because accepting this plan will be in the interest of the US,” Baghaei added.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday said that Washington’s latest proposal for a nuclear deal did not include the lifting of sanctions against Tehran.

When asked about Ghalibaf’s remarks, the foreign ministry spokesperson stated that Iran has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of lifting the sanctions during the nuclear talks, adding that Tehran will not accept any deal that does not include its two main demands: “Preserving [Iran’s] nuclear achievements and effectively lifting sanctions.”

Washington has been increasingly imposing more and more sanctions on Tehran, especially under US President Donald Trump’s administration, in order to bend Iran’s arm and pressure the country to part ways with their nuclear program. Iran has repeatedly empathized that it has no plans to develop a nuclear weapon, but has the right to continue uranium enrichment as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

During his first term in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal – an agreement between Tehran and world powers to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Subsequent attempts at reviving the deal have failed to yield results.