Iranian deputy FM reveals details of latest proposal to US

Iran has laid out a comprehensive set for demands in its ongoing negotiations with the United States, including the preservation of its right to uranium enrichment, the unfreezing of its assets, the lifting of U.S. naval blockade, and the full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, the country's official news agency reported on Tuesday.

According to Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi briefed members of the parliament's national security and foreign policy committee on the latest development of the talks with the United States, Iran's latest proposal to the United States, and the principles and position upheld by Iran's decision makers and negotiation team.

The report said that Iran's latest proposal to the United States centers on several key issues, including preserving Iran's right to uranium enrichment and the peaceful use of nuclear energy and ending hostilities on all fronts including that in Lebanon.

The latest proposal also demands the United States to lift its naval blockade against Iran, unfreeze Iranian assets abroad, completely withdraw its troops from the areas surrounding Iran, and compensate for war damages inflicted on Iran which will be used for reconstruction efforts, said the IRNA report.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets across the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and the United States reached a ceasefire on April 8, followed by indirect peace talks between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.

In recent weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistan.

Iranian deputy FM reveals details of latest proposal to US

Researchers in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region are using modern technologies to push the limits of agriculture, cultivating a wide range of fruits that were not commonly seen on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the world's highest plateau.

In the autonomous region's capital Lhasa, where altitude reaches 3,600 meters above sea level, the Xizang Academy of Agricultural and Animal Sciences has built up greenhouses and tested 60 grape varieties here, and six were finally found to be suitable for the harsh climate.

"The strong sunlight and big temperature swings here make our grapes sweeter," said Zhang Kai, an agricultural researcher at the academy.

With appropriate modifications, even subtropical coffee plants can grow on the plateau.

"We use shade netting and raise the humidity inside the greenhouse to help protect the coffee beans," said Laba Zhuoma, another agricultural researcher at the institute.

When freezing temperatures arrive at night, the greenhouses are covered with an extra layer of insulation to keep the temperature above eight degrees Celsius, according to academy staff.

Researchers also said that they are planning to work with local companies to expand production to allow local people to enjoy fresh fruits, and even fresh fish, without the high transportation costs.

Fresh fruits thrive on world's highest plateau with modern tech