TEHRAN -- Iran pressed the United States on Monday for guarantees that it will drop sanctions as a condition for a nuclear deal, after the White House reportedly sent a proposal it deemed “acceptable.”
With Iran and the United States engaged in talks over Tehran’s nuclear program since April, Washington’s proposal for a deal came after a leaked UN report accused Iran of having stepped up production of enriched uranium.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had been prepared under pressure from some Western countries. 
He emphasized that the methods pursued by the West and the IAEA will certainly not succeed, saying, “It is wrong to adopt the same approach that has not worked before.”
“If they want to further exploit this political report... they will surely have to face a proportionate response from Iran,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi as well as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo.
The Iranian minister reminded the UN nuclear body and its chief of their duty to professionally carry out their statutory duties, criticizing the baseless allegations brought up in the latest IAEA report against Iran.
Araghchi said the “IAEA should not allow its credibility to be undercut by political motives and pressures from some member states.”
Writing on X, Grossi said he had held a timely meeting with the Iranian foreign minister in Cairo. 
“Timely meeting in Cairo with Egypt’s @MfaEgypt Badr
 Abdelatty and Iran’s Foreign Minister @araghchi,” he said. “Grateful for Egypt’s constructive role in supporting peaceful, diplomatic solutions to regional challenges.” 
Araghchi spoke by phone with Grossi early Sunday morning, in which he stressed Iran’s “continuous cooperation” and that all of Iran’s nuclear activities are within the framework of agreements and being monitored by the IAEA. 
Araghchi also asked Grossi to ensure “that certain parties do not exploit the agency for political agendas against the Iranian people.” 
European nations could take further steps against Iran based on the report, leading to a potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West.
Abdelatty urged a peaceful solution, saying “the region is already experiencing enough crises and security challenges”.
“We completely reject any escalation or incitement of a military option,” he said, warning against “descending into a state of chaos from which no one will be spared”.
Iran has warned that it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions “exploit” the report.
Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received “elements” of a U.S. proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman.
On Monday, Baghaei told a news conference in Tehran: “We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted...”
“So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue,” he added.
The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that the administration of President Donald Trump would oppose any enrichment.
“An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That’s our red line. No enrichment,” Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News.
Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement. The country has vowed to keep enriching uranium “with or without a deal” on its nuclear program.
The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called “acceptable” and in its “best interest” to accept, U.S. media reported on Saturday.
The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power.
Baghaei on Monday emphasized that any text containing extreme and exaggerated demands that ignore the legitimate rights and interests of the Iranian people will certainly not receive a positive response from Iran, adding that Iran’s red lines will be the basis for responding to the U.S. proposal.
The spokesman flayed the IAEA report, saying Iran is aware that the IAEA as a whole and its director general have been subjected to repeated pressure to prepare this report with specific content. 
“However, this does not mean that the agency is permitted to publish completely biased and politically motivated reports against a member state under the influence of such pressure. It is only natural, as past experience has shown, that Iran closely monitors the actions of Western parties in the nuclear field and acts accordingly.”
Baghaei said some Western countries have long exploited international organizations and multilateral mechanisms, including the IAEA, to achieve their political goals. 
“This has become a negative and undesirable tradition over the past two decades, and is, of course, not limited to the IAEA alone.”
Baghaei added, “The report issued by the IAEA contains largely repetitive content, and some technical issues have been exaggerated. He emphasized that there is no doubt that this report was prepared under pressure from certain countries.”
He said Iran will adjust its steps in accordance with the upcoming actions of the IAEA member states, but it certainly does not want its cooperation with the agency to be affected by such actions. 
However, in some cases, it will be forced to make the appropriate decision in response to provocative actions by the other side, Baghaei added.