Abbas Araghchi said that Iran has little trust in Washington and questioned whether the US is serious about renewed nuclear negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday insisted that Tehran will never give up uranium enrichment, saying the country will not be intimidated by the United States’ military presence in the region.
Speaking at a forum in Tehran, Araghchi told AFP that Iran has little trust in Washington and questioned whether the US is serious about renewed nuclear negotiations. He added that Tehran is consulting with its “strategic partners” China and Russia on the talks.
“Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behaviour,” he said. “Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he added, referring to the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
The US and Iran reopened talks on Friday in Oman for the first time since Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June last year. Iran is seeking the removal of US economic sanctions in exchange for what Araghchi described as “a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear programme.”
Western nations and Israel have accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. “They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not looking for one. Our atomic bomb is the power to say ‘no’ to the great powers,” Araghchi said.
Earlier today, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Iran’s programme “a clear danger to peace.”
US negotiators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday. The US military said the carrier’s presence is aimed at “upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength.”
Despite the talks, tensions remain high. US President Trump called the negotiations as “very good,” while Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said they were “a step forward.”
The US also imposed new sanctions on shipping entities and vessels linked to Iran’s oil exports.
