Iran’s FM says uranium enrichment ‘non-negotiable,’ after US says it cannot continue
Condemning ‘contradictory’ statements by Witkoff on Trump’s demands, Araghchi says Tehran ‘will find out the true opinions’ of the US in next round of talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Iran’s uranium enrichment as part of its nuclear program was “non-negotiable,” after US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said the processing program must be dismantled as part of any deal between the sides.
“Iran’s enrichment is a real, accepted matter. We are ready to build confidence in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is non-negotiable,” Araghchi told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Witkoff’s comments Tuesday were themselves a reversal of those he made a day earlier, contrary to Israel’s position, that Washington would be satisfied with a cap on Iranian nuclear enrichment and would not require the dismantling of its nuclear facilities.
Araghchi and Witkoff are due to meet again in Oman on Saturday, a week after they held the highest-level talks between the longtime foes since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear deal in 2018.
Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions in a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran, which he has reinstated since returning to office in January.
In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging talks, but warned of possible military action if they fail to produce a deal.
Both sides described Saturday’s meeting as “constructive.”
On Tuesday, Witkoff said Iran must “stop and eliminate” its enrichment of uranium as part of any nuclear deal.
“A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal,” Witkoff said in a statement from his office’s official X account. “Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Witkoff had said Iran “does not need to enrich past 3.67 percent.”
“In some circumstances, they’re at 60%, in other circumstances, 20%. That cannot be,” he said. “You do not need to run — as they claim — a civil nuclear program where you’re enriching past 3.67%.”
His statement on Tuesday appeared to reject any uranium enrichment.
On Tuesday, Trump convened top US officials at the White House to discuss the nuclear talks, Axios reported.
Araghchi condemned what he called the “contradictory and conflicting positions” coming out of the administration ahead of the next round of talks.
“We will find out the true opinions of the Americans during the negotiation session,” he said.
Iran’s top diplomat said he hoped to start negotiations on the framework of a possible agreement but stressed that this required “constructive positions” from the United States.
“If we continue to [hear] contradictory and conflicting positions, we are going to have problems,” he warned.
On Tuesday, Khamenei cautioned that while the talks have proceeded well in their early stages, they could still prove fruitless.
Saturday’s talks were “well carried out in the first steps,” Khamenei said, quoted by state television. “Of course, we are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities.”
“The negotiations may or may not yield results,” he said.
Trump earlier in the week said he would “solve” the issue of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, even if it means taking “very harsh” actions to thwart them.
“We’ve got a problem with Iran. I’ll solve that problem. It’s almost an easy one,” Trump declared, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador.
“Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I want them to be a rich, great nation. The only thing is, one thing, simple, it’s really simple: They can’t have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve gotta go fast. Because they’re fairly close to having one. And they’re not going to have one.
“And if we have to do something very harsh, we’ll do it,” he added.
Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity, which has no application beyond nuclear weapons, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.
The Times of Israel Community.