Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that recognition of the country’s right to enrich uranium is essential for nuclear talks with the United States to succeed.
The comments follow indirect talks in Oman on Friday between American and Iranian diplomats, aimed at reviving diplomacy amid a U.S. naval buildup near Iran and Tehran’s warnings of a strong response to any attack.
“Zero enrichment can never be accepted by us. Hence, we need to focus on discussions that accept enrichment inside Iran while building trust that enrichment is and will stay for peaceful purposes,” Araqchi said.
Iran and the U.S. held five rounds of nuclear talks last year, which stalled primarily over disagreements regarding uranium enrichment inside Iran. In June, the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities following a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign.
Tehran has since claimed that it has halted enrichment activity, which Washington views as a potential pathway to nuclear weapons. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes.
A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Iran is open to discussions on the level and purity of enrichment and other arrangements, provided it is allowed to enrich uranium domestically and receives sanctions relief along with military de-escalation.
“Iran’s insistence on enrichment is not merely technical or economic… it is rooted in a desire for independence and dignity,” Araqchi said. “No one has the right to tell the Iranian nation what it should or should not have.”
Araqchi also clarified that Iran’s missile program, which the U.S. has sought to include in negotiations, has never been part of the agenda.
President Masoud Pezeshkian described the talks as a “step forward” and emphasized that Tehran wants its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be respected.
The date and venue of the next round of talks will be determined in consultation with Oman and may not take place in Muscat, Araqchi added.