Iran says it has ‘every right’ to enrich uranium after talks with US postponed

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran defends its “right” to enrich uranium despite growing Western concern that Tehran may be seeking nuclear weapons, and as talks with the United States were delayed.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says in a post on X that “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” citing Tehran’s long-standing membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“There are several NPT members that enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons,” Araghchi says.

Under the NPT, signatory states are obliged to declare their nuclear stockpiles and place them under the supervision of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons — a claim Tehran denies, insisting that its atomic program is solely for civilian purposes.