Iran: We Will Not Retreat from Our Principles in Nuclear Talks

Asharq Al-Awsat

14-05-2025

Iran on Tuesday said it is open to accepting temporary limits on its uranium enrichment but Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged that his country will never retreat from its core principles in the nuclear talks.
'These negotiations will be fully aligned with the Supreme Leader's guidance, which will light our path,' the president said in a meeting with members of the Iranian Parliament's Independent Faction.
He added, 'We have not tied the livelihood of our people to the outcome of these talks - nor will we ever do so. We will never retreat from our principles in these negotiations, but we do not seek tension either.'
Tehran and Washington held their fourth round of nuclear talks on Sunday in Doha, with no apparent breakthrough.
On Tuesday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi informed the National Security Committee that during indirect talks with the US, 'uranium enrichment is a non-negotiable red line.'
'Uranium enrichment in Iran's peaceful nuclear program is a red line for the country, alongside its defense and regional strength. Iran is not engaging in discussions regarding its enrichment principles,' Gharibabadi said, according to Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy commission.
Rezaei said some lawmakers suggested Tehran should withdraw from the nuclear talks 'until Iran's right to enrichment is publicly recognized, and sanctions and threats are stopped.'
Meanwhile, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi again said Iran is open to accepting temporary limits on its uranium enrichment, without abandoning its nuclear program as requested by the US administration.
'For a limited period of time, we can accept a series of restrictions on the level and volume of enrichment,' said Takht-Ravanchi.
'We have not yet gone into details about the level and volume of enrichment,' he said, quoted by Tasnim news agency.
The Iranian official added that negotiations are still in the early stages, and no specific details about the limitations have been discussed yet.
'We have not reached the stage where we would determine a specific timeframe or enrichment percentage,' he said.
Takht-Ravanchi then argued that US behavior undermines trust. 'American officials' threatening and non-threatening statements fail to build confidence and instead cast doubts and suspicions on Washington's position,' he noted.
On Monday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said the country's offensive capabilities have expanded, and that Iran's adversaries are now more vulnerable to retaliation than ever before.
In a closed-door session with Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hajizadeh dismissed recent reports suggesting a decline in Iran's defense strength as part of what he called a Western and Israeli media campaign aimed at undermining Iran's image.