Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States “will lead nowhere” if Washington insists that Tehran drop its uranium enrichment activity to zero, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takhtravanchi was quoted by state media on Monday as saying.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff reiterated Washington’s stance on Sunday that any new deal between the U.S. and Iran must include an agreement to refrain from enrichment, a possible pathway to developing nuclear bombs.
Tehran says its nuclear energy programme has entirely peaceful purposes.
“Our position on enrichment is clear and we have repeatedly stated that it is a national achievement from which we will not back down,” Takhtravanchi said.
During his visit to the Gulf region last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal was very close, but that Iran needed to move quickly to resolve the decades-long dispute.
Washington is complicating negotiations by expressing views in public different from what is discussed privately during talks, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
