Iran won't back down on 'nuclear rights', Araghchi says before US talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran will not back down on its 'nuclear rights', hours before talks with the US on the matter were to resume in Oman. He told an Arab-Iranian conference in Doha on Saturday night that 'if the goal of these talks is to ensure the non-acquisition of nuclear weapons, an agreement is possible. However, if the aim is to limit Iran's nuclear rights, Iran will never retreat', state media outlet Irna reported. A fourth round of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme is scheduled to begin on Sunday in Muscat, after it was postponed last weekend. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Sunday said Mr Araghchi had left for Oman and the negotiations would begin around midday. "A technical team is stationed in Muscat to provide the necessary consultations," the spokesman added. The talks come days ahead of a visit to the Gulf by US President Donald Trump, who will stop in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Iran has repeatedly said its right to enrich uranium is "non-negotiable" and has ruled out a 'zero enrichment' demand by some US officials. Before leaving for Muscat on Sunday, Mr Araghchi reaffirmed that message, saying "enrichment capability is one of the honours and achievements of the Iranian nation". Western powers suspect Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons. There have been mixed signals from Washington over whether it would settle for regulating enrichment. Mr Trump's special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said in an interview on Friday that Iran's 'enrichment facilities have to be dismantled'. Mr Witkoff was expected to travel to Oman for Sunday's talks. The latest negotiations will involve both direct and indirect discussions, a source said. Mr Trump, who withdrew Washington from a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers that was meant to curb Tehran's nuclear activities, has threatened to bomb Iran if no new deal is reached to resolve the long-running dispute. Tehran has accelerated its enrichment programme since the 2015 deal collapsed. It says it is purely for civilian purposes. 'In its indirect talks with the United States, Iran emphasises its right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and clearly declares that it is not seeking nuclear weapons,' Mr Araghchi said on Saturday. 'We continue our dialogues with the US government, and of course, simultaneously with Europe, Russia, and China, in good faith.' He said 'weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran's security doctrine. That is why we were among the initiators of creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the West Asian region'. 'It is necessary for western countries and all those who claim to oppose nuclear weapons to refrain from double standards.' Although the US and Iran have reported progress in the latest talks, few details have been released. Mr Trump is using a carrot-and-stick approach to persuade Iran to sign a new deal. The US President has suggested Iran would be a 'great, happy country' if it signs an agreement, but he has also pursued a 'maximum pressure' campaign built around tough sanctions aimed at shutting off Iranian oil exports.
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