Iran denies ending uranium enrichment even under threat of war with US

Iran ruled out, this Sunday (8), abandon uranium enrichment in negotiations with Washington, even in the event of a “war” with the United States, which maintains military pressure about the country.

After a first round of negotiations on Friday (6) in Oman, described as positive by both sides, the two countries reaffirmed their willingness to continue the dialogue. However, Iran remains firm on its “red lines”, accepting to discuss only its nuclear program and emphasizing the right to develop atomic energy for civilian purposes.

The United States, which has mobilized a large military force in the Gulf, demands a broader agreement. The American proposal includes limiting Iranian ballistic missile capabilities and ending support for armed groups hostile to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Wednesday (11) to pressure Donald Trump for a firm stance against Tehran. According to his office, Netanyahu insists that these two aspects “be included in any negotiations”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reaffirmed this Sunday that Tehran will not give in to Trump’s demand to abandon uranium enrichment. “Even if a war is imposed on us”, he emphasized.

He indicated, without elaborating, that Iran could consider “a series of confidence-building measures regarding its nuclear program” in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions that are stifling the Iranian economy.

Later, however, during a press conference, the chancellor expressed doubts about the “seriousness” of the United States in “carrying out real negotiations”. “Iran will evaluate all signals and decide on the continuation of negotiations,” Araqchi said, adding that the US military deployment “does not intimidate us.”

Peace through strength

On Saturday (7), US envoy Steve Witkoff visited the “Abraham Lincoln”, the flagship of the American naval force stationed in the Gulf.

During the visit, Witkoff — accompanied by Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US Military Command for the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law — reinforced the American president’s message of “peace through strength”.

In recent weeks, Trump has stepped up threats of military intervention in Iran — first in response to the violent crackdown on protests in January and then to pressure Tehran for a deal.

Following Friday’s talks between Witkoff, Kushner and Araqchi — the first since American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year — the American president described the dialogue as “very good” and said talks would continue “early next week.”

The negotiations, “conducted with the support of friendly governments in the region, constitute a step forward,” declared Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday.

On Saturday, in an interview with the Qatari broadcaster Al JazeeraAraqchi said he had agreed with Washington to hold another round of talks “soon,” but noted that there was still “a long way to go to build trust.”

He also reiterated that Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities “can never be negotiated”, as it is “a defense issue”.

Almost 7,000 dead

Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies.

Iran and the United States began negotiations last year, but dialogue stalled over the issue of uranium enrichment and was frozen by the 12-day war triggered in June by an Israeli attack on Iran.

Trump claimed that US airstrikes during the conflict “annihilated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but the exact extent of the damage remains unknown.

After the repression of protests in January, Trump once again threatened intervention. The American NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 6,961 confirmed deaths — most of them protesters — and more than 51,000 arrests.

Iran warned that, in the event of an attack, it would hit American bases in the region and could block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit point for global energy supplies.

*With information from AFP