Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araki admitted on Sunday that Iran is no longer enriching uranium in its nuclear facilities. He said this in an interview with a journalist from the AP agency, reports TASR.
“There is no undeclared enrichment of nuclear materials in Iran. All our facilities are under safeguards and monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Arákchi said. “There is currently no enrichment because our enrichment facilities have been compromised,” he explained.
Bombing of Iranian facilities
According to the AP, this is the most direct response yet from an Iranian government official regarding its nuclear program following the bombing of uranium enrichment facilities by Israel and the United States in June.
Iran’s stance on its nuclear program remains “clear,” according to Arákchi.
“Iran’s right to uranium enrichment, to the peaceful use of nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment, is undeniable,” said the head of Iranian diplomacy. “We have this right and we continue to exercise it, and we hope that the international community, including the United States, will recognize our rights and understand that this is Iran’s inalienable right and that we will never give up our rights,” he declared.
Conference in Tehran
The interview with the minister took place at a conference in Tehran organized by the Iranian Institute for Political and International Studies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference featured contributions from Iranian political analysts who offered Tehran’s perspective on the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
Before entering the conference, the organizers displayed pictures of Iranian children who died during Israeli attacks. The event was held at the General Qassem Soleimani Martyr Building, named after the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Special Forces who died in a 2020 US drone strike.
Complex consequences of war
According to AP, Iran is in a difficult situation after the war with Israel. Israel has decimated its air defense systems, leaving the country vulnerable to any future attacks. Tehran is also plagued by economic problems.
