Iranian foreign minister says civilian enrichment cannot be subjected to any deal as Tehran and Washington set to hold talks.Tehran, Iran – Iran has emphasised its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes as an Iranian delegation led by the foreign minister reached the Omani capital, Muscat, for a fourth round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media on Sunday that the Iranian nation has a legal right to civilian enrichment that cannot be subjected to any deal.
The landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which US President Donald Trump withdrew during his first term, allowed Iran to pursue its civilian nuclear activity but put restrictions on enrichment to prevent Tehran from making a nuclear bomb.
“Enrichment is one of the achievements and honours of the Iranian nation. We have paid a heavy price for enrichment. The blood of our nuclear scientists has been spilled for this achievement,” he said in reference to scientists assassinated by Israel over the years.
But Araghchi said Tehran remains committed to providing verifiable assurances that it will not be able to develop a nuclear bomb – which has been Trump’s main demand. Advertisement
Araghchi visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar and met with senior officials to coordinate in the run-up to the latest nuclear talks.
In the Omani capital on Sunday, Iran’s top diplomat was accompanied by his deputies and other members of the team tasked with technical talks that Iran still emphasises are held “indirectly” through Omani mediation.
Tehran has also repeatedly expressed concern over “contradictory” remarks made to the media by US negotiators, who are led by Trump’s longtime friend and envoy Steve Witkoff.
In the lead-up to the Muscat talks on Sunday, Witkoff again called for the complete “disman …
