ANKARA

The Trump administration has formally presented Iran with a written nuclear deal proposal, marking a significant step in the ongoing diplomatic talks, press reports said on Thursday, citing American and Iranian officials.

US envoy Steve Witkoff delivered the proposal during the fourth round of negotiations held Sunday in Oman, according to Axios.

It was the first written offer since talks began in early April, US officials confirmed, the media outlet stated.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received the document and returned to Tehran to meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and other high-ranking officials.

President Donald Trump, speaking on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, called the proposal “an olive branch” but warned that “this is not an offer that will last forever. The time is right now for them to choose.”

The American proposal outlines parameters for a civilian nuclear program and lays out monitoring and verification requirements.

Witkoff told the UN Security Council last week that the plan is “elegant” and “very big.”

Earlier rounds of talks saw Iran submit written ideas, which the US reviewed and responded to with clarifying questions.

After exchanges between expert teams, Witkoff’s delegation prepared the American counterproposal, two sources told Axios.

A senior adviser to Khamenei told NBC News that Iran may accept a deal that allows uranium enrichment for civilian purposes, renounces highly enriched uranium, and permits inspectors to verify compliance, which is in exchange for full sanctions relief.

During a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Wednesday, Trump said: “I hope you can help me with the Iran situation. We’re not going to let a war happen.”

A fifth round of negotiations has not yet been scheduled.

Meanwhile, the E3 countries—France, the UK, and Germany—are expected to meet with Iranian officials in Istanbul on Friday.

European diplomats have warned they will trigger “snapback” sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal if no agreement is reached by August.