Iran has suggested to six world powers that it may be open to talks about its ballistic missile arsenal, seeking to reduce tension over the disputed programme, officials have said.
Tehran has repeatedly vowed to continue building up what it calls defensive missile capability in defiance of Western criticism, with Washington saying the country’s stance violates its 2015 nuclear deal with the powers.
However officials said that given US President Donald Trump's threats to ditch the deal, Tehran had approached the powers recently about possible talks on some "dimensions" of its missile programme.
"During their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month, Iran told members of the world powers that it could discuss the missile programme to remove concerns," an Iranian official said.
US and Western officials did not confirm the matter was discussed at the meeting of US and Iranian foreign ministers. However two US officials said Iran had recently been "keeping it alive".
A former US Defense Department official said Iran's proposals had reached Washington in recent weeks.
"Iran has put feelers out saying it is willing to discuss its ballistic missile programme and is using contacts ...officials who were 'holdovers' from the Obama administration," the former official said.
Iran's reported approach came after Mr Trump called the nuclear accord "an embarrassment" and "the worst deal ever negotiated". He is expected to announce soon that he will decertify the deal, a senior administration official said yesterday.
The other five powers are Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, all of whom have reaffirmed commitment to the deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met his counterparts from the six powers, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for the first time, on the fringes of the UN gathering on 20 September.
A US official with first-hand knowledge of dealings with Iran said Mr Zarif had been recycling offers that "have been lying dormant on the table for some time".
"Zarif knows that if Trump goes ahead and decertifies Iran, Iran will be on the high ground, and the US will be isolated among the six powers," the official said.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi has said Tehran's ballistic missile programme was for defence purposes only and non-negotiable.
"Iran has in all bilateral diplomatic meetings, including the recent visit of ... Zarif to New York, emphasised that its defensive missile programme is not negotiable," Qasemi was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
The Trump administration has imposed fresh unilateral sanctions on Iran, saying its missile tests violate the UN resolution that formalised the nuclear deal.
It calls on Tehran not to undertake activities related to missiles capable of delivering nuclear bombs.
Iran says it has no such plans and denies breaching the resolution.
Iran has one of the biggest ballistic missile programmes in the Middle East, viewing it as an essential precautionary defence against the United States and other adversaries, primarily Gulf Arab states and Israel.
