Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran will not stop enriching uranium regardless of any international pressure, including from the US and its allies.
The top diplomat said that strikes carried out by Israel and its backer, the United States, failed to knock out the enrichment programme, which Tehran maintains is entirely built for civilian purposes. He said that while some of the material remains buried under the rubble, the technology and scientific know-how remain intact.
“We cannot stop uranium enrichment, and what is not achieved by war cannot be achieved through political means,” Araghchi said. He added that Iran remains open to reaching a nuclear deal with the US through indirect negotiations, provided that Washington stops setting what he described as “impossible and unacceptable preconditions”.
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Araghchi also said that Iran’s missile programme was not up for discussion. “It would be foolish if one handed over their weapons,” he said.
The Omani-mediated US-Iran negotiations were suspended after Israel began its 12-day bombing campaign earlier this year.
Last month, the EU, along with E3 (France, Germany, and the UK), reimposed snapback sanctions on Iran over its non-compliance with the nuclear agreement.
The alleged sanctions were lifted as part of the 2015 Joint Nuclear Deal (JCPOA), which the US withdrew from during President Donald Trump’s first term. Tehran has since said it is no longer bound by the JCPOA, which expired in October.
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