Speaking to reporters at a weekly presser on Monday, Esmaeil Baqaei emphasized that the idea of forming a consortium cannot be considered as a substitute for uranium enrichment inside Iran by any means.
He noted that the proposal for a regional consortium for uranium enrichment is not a new idea.
“If some parties are proposing such a process, we welcome it and have no problem with participation either. But we emphasize that such an initiative cannot replace enrichment inside Iran,” Baqaei stressed.
His comments came after the foreign minister of Oman paid a short visit to Tehran to relay a proposal from the US.
The White House has claimed that top American negotiator Steve Witkoff has sent Iran "a detailed and acceptable proposal" for a nuclear deal.
A US official has said that one idea that was raised by Oman and adopted by the US calls for establishing a regional consortium that will enrich uranium for civilian nuclear purposes under monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the US.
Iran and the US have held five rounds of talks since April 12, mediated by Oman, with the purpose of reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of sanctions on Tehran.