Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its enriched uranium, the head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, has said, rejecting a US demand for “meaningful” reductions in Tehran’s enrichment capacity.
Eslami dismissed renewed US threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities as “nothing new,” while insisting that enrichment remains an essential part of Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Enrichment is an integral part of the nuclear process, and we will not abandon it in any way,” Eslami said on Thursday, according to Iranian state media.
He argued that abandoning enrichment would undermine Iran’s ability to maintain a domestic nuclear industry, describing the sector as a driver of scientific and technological development.
Nuclear dispute runs alongside Strait of Hormuz talks
Eslami’s comments come as Iran and the United States continue exchanging proposals aimed at ending the conflict and restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that Tehran could respond within days to Washington’s latest response to an Iranian proposal that would allow the strait to reopen within seven days if specified conditions were met.
The parallel diplomatic efforts have placed the nuclear dispute alongside broader negotiations over security, hostilities and freedom of navigation.
Iran rejects weapons claims
The United States, Israel and other Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking the capability to develop nuclear weapons, pointing in particular to Tehran’s enrichment of uranium to 60 percent — well above the level generally required for civilian nuclear power and below weapons-grade enrichment of about 90 percent.
Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.
Iranian officials have previously indicated that Tehran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium as part of a broader agreement.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington was engaged in productive discussions with Iran and would not launch an attack before the US midterm congressional elections in November.
The latest statements underscore the gap between Tehran and Washington over the future of Iran’s enrichment program even as both sides continue diplomatic contacts on wider regional issues.
