Araghchi: Iran weighing whether to partake in next round of US talks
‘Tehran will never stop enriching uranium’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Iran is currently reviewing whether to participate in the next round of nuclear talks with the US amid wrangling between the two sides over Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Araghchi said that the Iranian delegation is reviewing the proposed time and venue of the 5th round of talks which was expected to take place “at the weekend” in Rome.
The American officials are insisting that Iran must give up its uranium enrichment program – the issue that Iran considers it as a redline.
However, Iranian officials have signaled that Tehran is ready to significantly scale back uranium enrichment to low levels as a trust-building move in the negotiations.
US chief negotiator in the talks Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that the US 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” program.
Araghchi reiterated on Wednesday that Tehran will never stop enriching uranium, saying that Iran has already responded to the “irrational demands,” and their statements do not help progress in negotiations.
“I have said it before, and I repeat it again: uranium enrichment in Iran will continue – with or without an agreement,” he said.
“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,” Araghchi said. “We stand against excessive demands and rhetoric at the table.”
Araghchi’s remarks came a day after Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called US demands for zero enrichment "excessive and outrageous," saying that he didn’t expect the negotiations to produce a deal.
Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Wednesday that, “If we didn't want to enrich uranium in our soil, there would have been no need to tolerate America's harsh and cruel sanctions over the past decades.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Parliament in a statement said that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons, emphasizing that Iran will not relinquish its nuclear rights.
According to Article 4 of The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the signatories to the treaty have the three rights to research, develop, produce, and use nuclear energy, the statement said.
Moreover, Iran’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said it is clear to everyone that what Iran has insisted on as its principled positions are in line with international law and its needs. “Therefore, it is expected that all relevant parties help us reach a reasonable and logical understanding based on international law.”
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.