The Islamic Republic will reject any nuclear agreement that aims to curb its “peaceful activities,” Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday, referring to its uranium enrichment efforts, while demanding assurances from the United States that sanctions will be lifted.
“Iran has a peaceful nuclear programme. … we are prepared to provide this assurance to any party or entity,” AFP quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.
Uranium enrichment remains a major issue in negotiations with the United States that have been ongoing since April, with Tehran insisting on its right to a civilian nuclear program and the U.S. viewing uranium enrichment activity as a red line.
Araghchi’s comments followed remarks by Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who called for greater transparency from Tehran after a leaked IAEA report revealed increased uranium enrichment.
Grossi spoke on Monday, ahead of a meeting he had in Cairo with Araghchi, who is the Islamic Republic’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States.
According to the IAEA report, Iran has intensified its production of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short technical step from the 90% level required for nuclear bombs.
Speaking in Cairo after meeting Grossi, Araghchi said: “If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached.”
He added that Iran has “nothing to hide” regarding its nuclear program.
The talks with the U.S., led by the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, are an attempt to reach a negotiated solution with Iran following the collapse in 2018 of a previous deal reached between Iran and the Obama administration as well as several other world powers.
Witkoff conveyed to the Iranian regime an updated, “detailed and acceptable” proposal regarding its nuclear program, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Saturday.
“It’s in their best interest to accept it,” Leavitt declared, adding, “Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.”
The collapsed JCPOA Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015 aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from international economic sanctions.
Under the agreement, Tehran agreed to reduce its uranium enrichment capacity, cap enrichment levels at 3.67% for 15 years, slash its stockpile of enriched uranium, and allow strict inspections by the IAEA. In return, the U.S. and others lifted nuclear-related sanctions, allowing Iran to rejoin the global economy.
In May 2018, President Donald Trump, during his first term in office, withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA, calling it “a bad deal,” and reimposed severe economic sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran began openly violating the deal’s limits, gradually increasing its uranium enrichment and reducing cooperation with the IAEA.
Efforts to revive the agreement under President Joe Biden stalled over disagreements, including Iran’s demand for sanctions relief guarantees and U.S. insistence on limits to enrichment. Iran has many times threatened to destroy Israel, which, like the U.S., has vowed to never allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.