The best Iranian diplomat insisted on Wednesday that Tehran will never stop uranium, further stressing the red line of the Islamic Republic in negotiations with the United States about its fast advance nuclear program.
The comments of the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Arabhchi come after several cycles of talks between the two nations, including at the level of the experts on the details of a possible agreement. However, none has yet been reached and US officials, including US President Donald Trump, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio support that Iran Must abandon the enrichment – something he did not do in his 2015 nuclear agreement with the world powers.
“I have already said it, and I repeat again: the enrichment of uranium in Iran will continue – with or without agreement,” said Araghchi, according to state television.
Araghchi added that Iran “currently examines the opportunity to participate in the next round and when to participate” in talks with the United States and Oman, which mediates negotiations, have not yet announced a fifth cycle of talks. Trump’s trip to the Middle East last week delayed any new meeting. The negotiators have already met in Muscat, Oman and Rome.
“We have never abandoned diplomacy. We will always be present at the negotiating table, and the main reason for our presence is to defend the rights of the Iranian people,” said Araghchi. “We oppose excessive requests and rhetoric at the table.”
Araghchi’s remarks one day came after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that he did not expect negotiations to produce an agreement.
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“I do not think that nuclear talks with the United States will bring results. I don’t know,” Khamenei said.
The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the overwhelming economic sanctions that the United States has imposed on the Islamic Republic, approaching half a century of enmity.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to trigger air strikes targeting Iran’s program if an agreement is not concluded. Iranian officials are increasingly warning that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stock of uranium enriched at levels close to the quality of weapons. Meanwhile, Israel has threatened to hit Iran’s nuclear installations alone if it feels threatened, further aggravating tensions in the Middle East already increased by the War of Israel-Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s nuclear agreement in 2015 with the world powers capped the level of Tehran’s enrichment at 3.67% and reduced its stock of uranium to 300 kilograms (661 pounds). This level is sufficient for nuclear power plants, but below the levels of quality of weapons of 90%.
Since the nuclear agreement collapsed in 2018 with the unilateral removal of Trump from the United States from the agreement, Iran has abandoned all the limits of its program and enriched uranium up to 60% purity – a short technical step in arms levels. There has also been a series of attacks at sea and on earth in recent years, arising from tensions even before the War of Israel-Hamas begins.
–The editors of the Associated Press Gabe Levin and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
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