Iran stands firm: Nuclear enrichment continues amid talks uncertainty
Shafaq News/ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Tehran is still reviewing whether it will attend the next round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.
“We are currently evaluating whether it is worthwhile to participate in the fifth round of talks,” Araghchi told reporters in Tehran. “We have never abandoned diplomacy, but we firmly push back against unrealistic [US] conditions.”
His remarks come a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei questioned the value of continued negotiations, suggesting they may no longer be useful. Although a date and venue for a new round have reportedly been proposed—possibly this weekend in Rome—Iran has yet to accept any invitation.
Araghchi made clear that Iran’s nuclear activities remain non-negotiable. “Uranium enrichment will continue, whether or not an agreement is reached,” he stressed, reiterating that his country remains open to transparency in one condition. “If the other parties want clarity regarding the peaceful nature of our program, the first step must be lifting the sanctions that were unjustly imposed.”
Earlier, Iranian officials rejected statements by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who declared that Washington would not accept “even 1%” enrichment on Iranian soil. Khamenei dismissed the American position as “outrageous” and affirmed that Iran would pursue its nuclear policy independently.
The talks aim to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which traded sanctions relief for limitations on Iran’s nuclear program. While both sides insist that diplomacy remains an option, the widening gap over key conditions continues to cast doubt on whether any agreement can soon be reached.
