Tehran has the legal right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said
</p><div><p>Iran will not give up its uranium enrichment capacity even under the threat of war, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said. US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran agree to one <em>“no enrichment”</em> policy.
Araghchi made the comments Sunday at the National Congress on the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy in Tehran, calling enrichment a legal right rooted in sovereignty and national dignity.
“Why have we insisted so strongly on enrichment and continue to do so, and why are we unwilling to give it up even if war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to tell us what we should and should not have,” he said.
Araghchi added, however, that Iran is open to addressing concerns about its nuclear program and building trust on the issue. “If there are any questions or ambiguities about the peaceful objectives of Iran’s nuclear program, we will respond and remove the ambiguities, and the only way is through diplomacy.”
He went on to say that the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities last year did not produce the desired results.
“Knowledge cannot be bombed away. Bombing can destroy buildings, but technology cannot be destroyed,” Araghchi said, adding that this was the message he conveyed to the US during recent indirect talks in Oman.
Araghchi previously described the negotiations as one “good start,” emphasize that they were ‘nuclear only’ although US officials said they also wanted to discuss Iran’s ballistic missiles and support for its regional allies.
The Trump administration has long pushed for Iran to accept a deal “no enrichment” and has repeatedly suggested that Washington could resort to a military option if diplomacy fails.
Araghchi’s comments come amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, with the US recently deploying additional naval and air forces to the region. Trump has also pledged support for violent protests in Iran driven by economic grievances; Tehran has said it will not bow to pressure.
