Latest news with #enrichment
The National
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Iran rules out abandoning nuclear enrichment as talks to begin with European powers
Iran will not abandon its nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said before renewed talks with European powers set to be held in Istanbul on Friday. The dialogue with Britain, France and Germany – also known as the E3 – will be the first since Tehran's 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the US also carried out strikes against Iran's nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump said the installations had been "obliterated". But the strikes do not appear to be a long-term setback for Tehran's plans. For now, enrichment has stopped "because, yes, damages are serious and severe", Mr Araghchi told Fox News in an interview aired on Monday. "We cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride," he said. "Our enrichment is so dear to us." The Foreign Minister confirmed that the damage caused by the US strikes to Iranian infrastructure was "serious" but did not comment on whether any enriched uranium had survived the attacks. "Our facilities have been damaged – seriously damaged," Mr Araghchi said. "The extent of which is now under evaluation by our atomic energy organisation. But as far as I know, they are seriously damaged," he added. Mr Trump responded to the comments on his platform Truth Social, saying Washington would carry out strikes again "if necessary". The 2015 agreement, reached between Iran and UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the US, plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Mr Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. The E3 countries last met with Iranian representatives in Geneva on June 21 - just one day before the US strikes. Iran will meet for talks with the Europeans. "Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei ahead of Friday's talks in Istanbul on the deal's future. Iran will also host a trilateral meeting on Tuesday with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes into account the legitimate concerns of all parties". European countries have in recent days threatened to activate the deal's "snapback" mechanism, which allows the reimposition of sanctions in the event of non-compliance by Iran.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Iran defies Trump's demands to halt nuclear enrichment as foreign minister claims program is 'so dear to us'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran cannot halt its nuclear enrichment program in a shot at Donald Trump. Araghchi confirmed Tehran was severely damaged during the recent Israel-Iran war in which W ashington bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. However, he told Fox News Channel's Special Report on Monday that they are going to rebuild and won't give up enrichment. 'It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up of enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,' the foreign minister said. 'Our enrichment is so dear to us.' Araghchi confirmed Trump's exclamations that the damage done by the strikes called for by the president was 'serious' but would not get specific. 'Our facilities have been damaged – seriously damaged, the extent of which is now under evaluation by our atomic energy organization but as far as I know, they are seriously damaged.' For the time being, Iran continues to state that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and does not have the capabilities to enrich anything but he did confirm that they are still capable of building ballistic missiles. There was no indication by Araghchi that Iran was any closer to returning to negotiations with Washington over its nuclear program. has reached out to the White House for comment, though President Trump posted to Truth Social about Araghchi's claims that the nuclear program was decimated. He wrote: 'Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on the Iran Nuclear Sites: 'Damages are very severe, they are destroyed.' Of course they are, just like I said, and we will do it again, if necessary! As interviewed by Bret Baier. Fake News CNN should immediately fire their phony 'reporter' and apologize to me and the great pilots who 'OBLITERATED' Iran's nuclear sites. CNN is a major ratings loser, as is MSDNC!' Araghchi did make some news in declaring public support for Houthi rebels, Hamas and Hezbollah and confirming long-held beliefs that they supply weapons for groups he called 'freedom fighters.' Last month, he was resolute in saying that there would be no talks with Trump and the White House. 'I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,' Araghchi said on state television. 'No plan has been set yet to start negotiations.' Araghchi's statements came after Ayatollah Khamenei insisted the attacks had done 'nothing significant' to Iran's nuclear sites in an address that also saw him claim the Islamic Republic had 'defeated Israel' and dealt the US a 'slap' with its strikes on an American base in Qatar. All of the missiles fired at the base were shot down. The state of Iran's nuclear program, the location of its enriched uranium and the efficacy of the US' strikes on three nuclear facilities are all the topic of intense scrutiny. American and Iranian officials have offered sharply diverging assessments of the consequences of US involvement in the conflict. Trump has insisted that bunker-busting bombs and tomahawk missiles 'totally obliterated' Iran 's nuclear facilities and erased the Islamic Republic's chances of building a bomb. But preliminary intelligence reports found the nuclear program had likely only been set back by a few months, according to several officials who had seen the documents and spoke to CNN and the New York Times. Their assessment directly contradicted statements by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went ballistic on reporters at a Pentagon press conference, lashing out at reports that the airstrikes may have been less effective than claimed, declaring that the leakers should be in prison and the reporters fired. IAEA head Rafael Grossi told French radio RFI that Iran's nuclear facilities must have sustained 'enormous damage' - though he acknowledged that IAEA inspectors had not been able to visit the sites to verify. 'It is true that, with its reduced capacities, it will be much more difficult for Iran to continue the pace it had,' he claimed. Thousands of centrifuges - the machines used to enrich uranium - were no longer operational, he said, 'given the explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature' of the equipment. In May, the IAEA, reported that Iran had accumulated more than 400 kilograms (900 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%. This is already enough to create an atomic weapon like those that laid waste to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Such bombs are too heavy and cumbersome for Iran to deploy effectively. But achieving the 90% enrichment required to produce modern nuclear devices small and light enough to mount to any one of Tehran's vast array of missiles could take mere weeks. As far as anyone knows, that HEU is still safely squirrelled away, safe from American and Israeli bombs - not to mention ton more uranium enriched to levels below 60%, but still far in advance of the 3-5% required for civilian energy use. Trump has said he believes the enriched uranium is now buried beneath mounds of rock and rubble. Asked Wednesday whether he thought the enriched uranium had been smuggled out from the nuclear facilities before US bombs hit, the President said: 'We think we hit them so hard and so fast they didn't get to move.' But a Khamenei adviser, Ali Shamkhani, has said that the country still had its stockpile. 'Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn't over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain,' he said in a post on X. Iran's lawmakers last week voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, which would be a violation of Iran's responsibilities as part of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But there are fears Tehran may seek to pull out of the agreement altogether in light of the US and Israeli strikes. 'The Non-Proliferation Treaty allows member states to withdraw (with a three month notice period) 'if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of this treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country',' said Darya Dolzikova, Senior Research Fellow for Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at the RUSI think tank. 'The events of the last week could arguably give Tehran the justification it needs to that end. A withdrawal from the NPT would likely see the international community lose all visibility of the Iranian nuclear program and could - long-term - become a catalyst for broader proliferation in the region.'
France 24
14 hours ago
- Business
- France 24
Iran to continue nuclear enrichment despite US strikes, ahead of European talks
Iran has no plans to abandon its nuclear programme including uranium enrichment despite the "severe" damage caused by US strikes to its facilities, the country's foreign minister said ahead of renewed talks with European powers. Iran is scheduled to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday, to discuss its nuclear programme, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering a landmark 2015 nuclear deal. The meeting will be the first since Iran's 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the United States carried out strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities. For now, enrichment "is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" on Monday. "But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists," he continued, calling it a source of "national pride". US President Donald Trump responded to the comments on his platform Truth Social, saying Washington would carry out strikes again "if necessary". The 2015 agreement, reached between Iran and UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. However, it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Trump's first term, unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Though Europe pledged continued support, a mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never effectively materialised, forcing many Western firms to exit Iran and deepening its economic crisis. "Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei ahead of Friday's talks in Istanbul on the deal's future. Iran will also host a trilateral meeting Tuesday with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes in account the legitimate concerns of all parties". In recent weeks, the three European powers have threatened to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of breaching its nuclear commitments. Germany said the Istanbul talks would be at the expert level, with the European trio, or E3, working "flat out" to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution. "If no solution is reached by the end of August... the snapback also remains an option for the E3," said its foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Giese. A clause in the 2015 agreement allows for UN sanctions on Iran to be reimposed through a "snapback" mechanism in the event of non-compliance. However, the agreement expires in October, leaving a tight deadline. 01:45 'No intention of speaking with America' The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country currently enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 accord. That is a short step from the 90 percent enrichment required for a nuclear weapon. Using the snapback clause was "meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral", Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance. "Iran's reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement," he said. Western powers -- led by the United States and backed by Israel -- have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied this, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production. Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks starting in April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched strikes on Iran, triggering a 12-day conflict. "At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America," Baqaei said Monday. Israel launched a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis on June 13, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. The United States launched its own strikes against Iran's nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Iran defies Trump's demands to halt nuclear weapon enrichment in sensational new interview
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran cannot give up on its nuclear enrichment program in a shot at Donald Trump. Araghchi confirmed Tehran was severely damaged during the recent Israel-Iran war in which Washington bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. However, he told Fox News on Monday night that they are going to rebuild and won't give up enrichment. 'It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up of enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,' the foreign minister said. 'Our enrichment is so dear to us.' Araghchi confirmed Trump's exclamations that the damage done by the strikes called for by the president was 'serious' but would not get specific. 'Our facilities have been damaged – seriously damaged, the extent of which is now under evaluation by our atomic energy organization but as far as I know, they are seriously damaged.' For the time being, Iran continues to state that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and does not have the capabilities to enrich anything but he did confirm that they are still capable of building ballistic missiles. There was no indication by Araghchi that Iran was any closer to returning to negotiations with Washington over its nuclear program. has reached out to the White House for comment. Araghchi did make some news in declaring public support for Houthi rebels, Hamas and Hezbollah and confirming long-held beliefs that they supply weapons for groups he called 'freedom fighters.' Last month, he was resolute in saying that there would be no talks with Trump and the White House. 'I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations,' Abbas Araghchi said on state television. 'No plan has been set yet to start negotiations.' Araghchi's statements came after Ayatollah Khamenei insisted the attacks had done 'nothing significant' to Iran's nuclear sites in an address that also saw him claim the Islamic Republic had 'defeated Israel' and dealt the US a 'slap' with its strikes on an American base in Qatar. All of the missiles fired at the base were shot down. The state of Iran's nuclear program, the location of its enriched uranium and the efficacy of the US' strikes on three nuclear facilities are all the topic of intense scrutiny. American and Iranian officials have offered sharply diverging assessments of the consequences of US involvement in the conflict. Trump has insisted that bunker-busting bombs and tomahawk missiles 'totally obliterated' Iran 's nuclear facilities and erased the Islamic Republic's chances of building a bomb. But preliminary intelligence reports found the nuclear program had likely only been set back by a few months, according to several officials who had seen the documents and spoke to CNN and the New York Times. Their assessment directly contradicted statements by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went ballistic on reporters at a Pentagon press conference, lashing out at reports that the airstrikes may have been less effective than claimed, declaring that the leakers should be in prison and the reporters fired. IAEA head Rafael Grossi told French radio RFI that Iran's nuclear facilities must have sustained 'enormous damage' - though he acknowledged that IAEA inspectors had not been able to visit the sites to verify. 'It is true that, with its reduced capacities, it will be much more difficult for Iran to continue the pace it had,' he claimed. Digital billboards display a message thanking US President Donald Trump for his administration's strikes on Iranian nuclear sites Thousands of centrifuges - the machines used to enrich uranium - were no longer operational, he said, 'given the explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature' of the equipment. In May, the IAEA, reported that Iran had accumulated more than 400 kilograms (900 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%. This is already enough to create an atomic weapon like those that laid waste to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Such bombs are too heavy and cumbersome for Iran to deploy effectively. But achieving the 90% enrichment required to produce modern nuclear devices small and light enough to mount to any one of Tehran's vast array of missiles could take mere weeks. As far as anyone knows, that HEU is still safely squirrelled away, safe from American and Israeli bombs - not to mention ton more uranium enriched to levels below 60%, but still far in advance of the 3-5% required for civilian energy use. Trump has said he believes the enriched uranium is now buried beneath mounds of rock and rubble. Asked Wednesday whether he thought the enriched uranium had been smuggled out from the nuclear facilities before US bombs hit, the President said: 'We think we hit them so hard and so fast they didn't get to move.' But a Khamenei adviser, Ali Shamkhani, has said that the country still had its stockpile. 'Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn't over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain,' he said in a post on X. Iran's lawmakers last week voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, which would be a violation of Iran's responsibilities as part of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But there are fears Tehran may seek to pull out of the agreement altogether in light of the US and Israeli strikes. 'The Non-Proliferation Treaty allows member states to withdraw (with a three month notice period) 'if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of this treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country',' said Darya Dolzikova, Senior Research Fellow for Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at the RUSI think tank. 'The events of the last week could arguably give Tehran the justification it needs to that end. A withdrawal from the NPT would likely see the international community lose all visibility of the Iranian nuclear program and could - long-term - become a catalyst for broader proliferation in the region.'
The Sun
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Iran vows to press on with nuke enrichment despite Trump's threats and ‘serious damage' done by stealth bombings
IRAN has vowed to push on with nuclear enrichment - in a stark warning to the west following Trump's stealth blitz on Tehran's nuke plants. The pariah state pledged to enrich uranium at weapons-grade levels, despite the 12-day war which started over fears the mullahs were dangerously close to getting a nuclear warhead. 11 11 11 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that his country would not give up on its nuclear programme. He added that the US and Israel's bid to prevent Tehran from developing a nuke was unlikely to pay off. The chilling threats came despite threats of intense international sanctions against the Islamic Republic if they were to go ahead with weapons-grade uranium enrichment. Araghchi said: "We cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. "And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride." The Foreign Minister also said: "Enrichment is so dear to us." Aragchi confirmed that the damage done by Donald Trump's Operation Midnight Hammer on Iran's nuclear sites had been "serious". sophisticated attack. "Our facilities have been damaged – seriously damaged," Araghchi said. "The extent of which is now under evaluation by our atomic energy organisation." He did confirm, however, that all enrichment capabilities in Iran had been ceased as a result of the facilities being "seriously damaged". Last week, Iran again threatened to ramp up enrichment of its near-weapons-grade uranium - just 24 days after being bombed by the US. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told Mehr News Agency: "We will never give up our legitimate right to enrich uranium. "Enrichment is a sovereign right that we will continue to pursue based on our national needs. "Bombing cannot erase this knowledge — it will only come back stronger." The 12-day war last month kicked off with Operation Rising Lion, which saw Israel attempting to derail Iran's nuclear programme by striking Tehran's enrichment facilities. 11 11 The Israelis also orchestrated Operation Red Wedding - which saw 30 top Iranian military chiefs killed in a near-simultaneous blitz as Tel Aviv sought to root out the country's military strength entirely. Even Iran's President was reportedly injured during the Israeli bombing campaign - before being bundled out of an emergency hatch. Masoud Pezeshkian was wounded in the leg and forced to flee a high-profile emergency meeting amid a devastating attack on a secret Iranian underground facility. Iran retaliated by launching daily salvos of ballistic missiles across Israel, but failed to hit any strategic targets. Less than a fortnight later, Trump joined the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran with Operation Midnight Hammer. The US military's flagship B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen 30,000lb GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs. The bunker-buster bombs were used to hit Iran's Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Plant. The Don celebrated his sophisticated blitz on the Iranian regime - and said that the US bombs went through enemy nuclear sites " like absolute butter". Iran, which vowed to hit US military bases across the Middle East, sought its revenge by launching missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base - America's biggest military station in the region. But Tehran seemingly cooked up a fake attack after passing warnings to its Qatari allies, which allowed all US service personnel and aircraft to be moved out of harm's way. Trump dubbed the expected response "weak" before announcing that a ceasefire deal had been reached between the Israelis and Iranians. 11 11
