Iran again rules out giving up uranium enrichment, suggests US not taking talks seriously |
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States.
Araghchi told a forum in Tehran that Tehran had little trust in Washington, and even doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously.
“Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior,” Araghchi declared.
“Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he added, referring to the buildup of US forces, including the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
The United States and Iran reopened negotiations on Friday in Oman, after the previous talks between the two countries were suspended due to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, which ended with a US strike on several Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran is seeking to have US economic sanctions on the country lifted, in exchange for what Araghchi said at the forum could be “a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear program.”
“They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not looking for one. Our atomic bomb is the power to say ‘no’ to the great powers,” Araghchi said.
Western countries suspect Iran is seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb. Iran has denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.........