Iran has laid out a four-stage framework for potential negotiations with the United States, according to a report Tuesday by the semi-official Fars News agency. The proposal, which Tehran has not officially confirmed, comes amid stalled diplomatic efforts and ongoing tensions over the country's nuclear program.
The four-stage proposal
Fars News said the plan structures talks in sequential phases, though it did not disclose the specific contents of each stage. The report described the framework as an Iranian initiative meant to set clear parameters for any future dialogue with Washington. Broadly, the stages appear designed to build trust gradually, with each step requiring reciprocal actions before moving to the next.
Iranian officials have long insisted on a phased approach, arguing that confidence-building measures must precede discussions on more sensitive issues. The proposal outlined by Fars suggests Tehran wants to avoid the open-ended negotiations that characterized earlier rounds, which collapsed in 2022.
Direct talks between the two countries have been effectively frozen since the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018. While indirect mediation through Oman, Qatar, and other actors continued sporadically, no formal negotiating framework has been agreed upon.
The reported plan arrives as the Biden administration has tried to revive diplomatic channels, but progress has been limited. Iran's uranium enrichment levels have repeatedly crossed thresholds set by the original agreement, stoking concerns in Western capitals. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that inspectors have been unable to verify certain nuclear activities in Iran.
Negotiators from both sides have at times floated similar concepts — incremental steps linked to sanctions relief — but never publicly embraced a four-stage construct.
What happens next
It is unclear whether the United States has received or is considering the Iranian proposal. The State Department did not immediately respond to a query about the report. Fars News did not cite a specific Iranian official by name, so the plan's status within the government remains ambiguous.
Iran's foreign ministry had previously said in December 2023 that it was open to talks based on mutual respect, but offered no detailed roadmap. This reported plan could serve as a starting point — or a test of Washington's willingness to engage on Iran's terms.
The exact timing for any possible discussions is unknown. Until the US formally responds or Tehran's leadership endorses the four-stage outline publicly, the proposal exists only on paper, as a signal through a state-aligned media outlet.
