Iran FM says uranium enrichment ‘non-negotiable’ after Trump envoy urged halt

Iranian Overseas Minister Abbas Araqchi. File.
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters

Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi stated Wednesday (April 16, 2025) that Iran’s enrichment of uranium as a part of its nuclear programme was “non-negotiable” after US Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff known as for a halt.

“Iran’s enrichment is an actual, accepted matter. We’re able to construct confidence in response to doable considerations, however the situation of enrichment is non-negotiable,” Mr. Araghchi advised reporters after a cupboard assembly.

The remarks got here as Mr. Araghchi and Mr. Witkoff are as a consequence of meet once more in Oman on Saturday, per week after they held the highest-level talks between the longtime foes since U.S. President Donald Trump deserted a landmark nuclear deal in 2018.

Mr. Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions in a coverage of “most stress” towards Tehran that he has reinstated since returning to workplace in January.

In March, he despatched a letter to Iran’s supreme chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging talks however warning of doable navy motion in the event that they fail to supply a deal.

Either side described Saturday’s assembly as “constructive”.

However on Tuesday, Mr. Witkoff stated Iran should “cease and eradicate” its enrichment of uranium as a part of any nuclear deal.

He had beforehand demanded solely that Iran return to the three.67 p.c enrichment ceiling set by the 2015 accord between Iran and main powers that Trump withdrew from.

‘Contradictory’

Mr. Araghchi condemned what he known as the “contradictory and conflicting positions” popping out of the Trump administration forward of Saturday’s talks.

“We’ll discover out the true opinions of the People in the course of the negotiation session,” he stated.

Iran’s high diplomat stated he hoped to start out negotiations on the framework of a doable settlement however stated that required “constructive positions” from america.

“If we proceed to [hear] contradictory and conflicting positions, we’re going to have issues,” he warned.

Mr. Araghchi is about to move to Iranian ally Russia on Thursday, Iran’s ambassador in Moscow Kazem Jalili stated.

Iran has stated the go to was “pre-planned” however will embody discussions on the Iran-US talks.

“The target of [my] journey to Russia is to convey a written message from the supreme chief” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Araghchi stated.

In readiness for the U.S. talks, Iran has engaged with Russia and China, which had been each events to the 2015 deal.

Forward of Saturday’s second spherical of talks in Muscat, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated he hoped a deal might be reached with america, the official IRNA information company reported.

On Tuesday, Khamenei cautioned that whereas the talks have proceeded properly of their early levels, they might nonetheless show fruitless.

“The negotiations might or might not yield outcomes,” he stated, noting that Iran had already outlined its “crimson strains”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have stated the nation’s navy capabilities are off-limits within the talks.

Late on Sunday, IRNA stated Iran’s regional affect and its missile capabilities — each sources of concern for Western governments — had been additionally amongst its “crimson strains”.

The pinnacle of the Worldwide Atomic Power Company, Rafael Grossi was due in Iran later Wednesday for talks with senior officers.

The UN watchdog was tasked with overseeing Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nulear deal.

In its newest report, the IAEA stated Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 kilos) of uranium enriched to as much as 60 p.c.

That stage far exceeds the the three.67 p.c ceiling set by the 2015 deal however nonetheless falls in need of the 90 p.c threshold required for a nuclear warhead.