'National pride': Iran won't stop nuclear enrichment
Iran's nuclear facilities and other sites were bombed by Israel and the US during a 12-day war. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran cannot give up on its uranium enrichment program, which was severely damaged during the recent Israel-Iran war.
Prior to the war in June, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but could not agree on the extent to which Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium.
Israel and Washington say Iran was close to enriching to levels that would allow it to quickly produce a nuclear weapon, while Tehran says its enrichment program is for civilian purposes only.
"It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News.
"And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride."
The foreign minister said the damage to the nuclear facilities in Iran after US and Israeli strikes was serious and was being evaluated further.
Araghchi also said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was in "good health" and Tehran was open to talks with Washington, but those will not be direct "for the time being".
US ally Israel attacked Iran on June 13 and the Middle Eastern rivals then engaged in an air war for 12 days in which Washington also bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. A ceasefire was reached in late June.
Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not. The UN nuclear watchdog says it has "no credible indication" of an active, co-ordinated weapons program in Iran. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is solely meant for civilian purposes.
Israel is the only Middle Eastern country believed to have nuclear weapons and said its war against Iran was aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
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