Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency did not elaborate on the substance of its response, but suggested that Tehran still would not accept the European Union-brokered proposal, despite warnings that no further negotiations would take place. “The differences concern three issues, on which the United States has expressed its verbal flexibility on two occasions, but should be included in the text,” the IRNA report said. “The third issue is related to ensuring the continuation (of the agreement), which depends on the realism of the United States.” Tehran under hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly tried to blame Washington for the delay in reaching a deal. Monday was reported to be the deadline for Iran’s response. There was no immediate acknowledgment from the EU that Iran had submitted its response. The EU has been the intermediary in the indirect talks. From Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US would share its own response with the EU. “We agree, however, with the fundamental point (of the EU) and that is that everything that could be negotiated has been negotiated,” Price said. He added that Iran had “unacceptable demands” beyond the text of the 2015 nuclear deal, which saw Iran drastically curtail uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. “If Iran wants these sanctions lifted, it will need to change its underlying behavior,” Price said. “They will need to change the dangerous activities that led to these sanctions in the first place.”
