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Araghchi rejects Witkoff’s remarks as completely far from realities
‘Uranium enrichment will continue in Iran’
"I think they are completely far from the realities of negotiations and enrichment will continue in Iran." Abbas Araghchi said.
"If they are interested in ensuring that nuclear weapons are not produced (by Iran), we are fully prepared, but if they have unrealistic demands, they will not achieve any results," Iran’s top diplomat added.
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that the Trump administration’s “red line” in nuclear talks with Iran is that Iran cannot maintain any ability to enrich uranium.
“We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability,” Witkoff told ABC’s “This Week.”
“Everything begins… with a deal that does not include enrichment… because enrichment enables weaponization, and we will not allow a bomb to get here,” he added.
Earlier this year, Witkoff had indicated that the US would accept Iran maintaining a limited enrichment capability, but the Trump administration has since hardened its public stance.
“We’ve delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this without disrespecting them,” Witkoff said. “We want to get to a solution here, and we think that we will be able to.”
Witkoff says negotiators will likely be meeting this week in Europe for another round of talks. “We hope that it will lead to some real positivity.”
Since April 12, Iran and the US have held four rounds of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, with US President Donald Trump threatening Iran with military attack if no agreement is reached.
Negotiations have gotten into the expert level – meaning the two sides are trying to see if they can reach any agreement on the details of any possible deal. But one major sticking point remains Iran’s enrichment of uranium, which Tehran insists it must be allowed to do and the Trump administration insists the Islamic Republic must give up.
Iranian officials have repeatedly announced Iran’s non-negotiable position on uranium enrichment.