Iran, as negotiations continue to take place on the nuclear deal, the United States and uranium are rich – country – country
Iran’s top diplomat insists that Tehran will never stop enriching uranium, further highlighting the Islamic Republic’s red line to negotiate with the United States on its rapidly moving nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's comments came after multiple rounds of negotiations between the two countries, including expert level on possible deal details. But no link has been reached, with U.S. officials including U.S. President Donald Trump, the Middle East envoy, Steve Vitokov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisting that Iran must give up abundance – it did not do that in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
According to state television, “I have said it before, and I repeat again: Iran’s uranium enrichment will continue – there is no agreement.”
Araghchi added that Iran is holding talks with the United States and U.S. Oman, which are mediating negotiations, and no fifth round of negotiations has been announced. Trump's trip to the Middle East last week delayed any new meetings. Negotiators previously met in Muscat, Oman and Rome.
“We have never given up on diplomacy. We will always be present at the negotiations and the main reason we are present is to defend the rights of the Iranian people,” Aragic said. “We oppose too much demands and words on the table.”
Araghchi's speech came the day after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he did not expect a deal to be concluded.
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“I don't think the nuclear negotiations with the United States will lead to a result. I don't know,” Khamenei said.
The negotiations were intended to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for some broken economic sanctions imposed by the United States on the Islamic Republic and ended in a half-century of hatred.
If a deal is not reached, Trump has repeatedly threatened to release air strikes against Iran. Iranian officials are increasingly warning that they can use uranium to store to near-weapon-level levels in pursuit of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Israel threatened to threaten Iran's nuclear facilities, Israel threatened to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, and tensions have further intensified in the Middle East where the Israel-Hamas war has encountered.
Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers limited Tehran's enrichment levels to 3.67% and reduced its uranium storage to 300 kilograms (661 pounds). For nuclear power plants, this level is enough to be well below 90% of the weapon grade.
Since the 2018 nuclear deal with Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the U.S. troops, Iran has abandoned all restrictions on its plan and enriched uranium to up to 60% purity – shorter technical steps at the weapon level. In recent years, there have been a series of attacks on sea and on land in recent years, even due to tensions before the Israel-Hamamas war began.
–Associated Press writers Gabe Levin and Jon Gambrell contributed to the report in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
