Latest news with #nuclear programme
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Iran refuses to abandon nuclear programme
Iran will not abandon its nuclear programme despite 'severe' damage caused by US and Israeli air strikes, its foreign minister said. Abbas Araghchi conceded late on Monday that uranium enrichment had 'stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe', ahead of renewed talks with European powers. But Mr Araghchi told Fox News: 'Obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists.' He called the programme a source of 'national pride'. Iran is due to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday to discuss its uranium enrichment programme, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering the significant 2015 nuclear deal. The meeting will be the first since Iran's 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the US bombed three of its critical nuclear facilities, including the Fordow underground enrichment site. Mr Araghchi stressed that any future nuclear deal would have to contain the right to enrichment. Asked if any near-bomb-grade uranium had been saved from the strikes, he claimed he had 'no detailed information' but said Iran's atomic energy organisation was still 'trying to evaluate' what happened to the enriched nuclear material. Donald Trump, the US president, has repeatedly claimed the air strikes 'obliterated' the sites and lashed out against media reports citing US intelligence findings that the attacks set back Iran's nuclear program only by months, rather than destroying it. Mr Agarachi said: 'Yes, facilities have been destroyed. They are severely destroyed. But the technology is there, our nuclear program, our enrichment program, is not something imported from outside that can be destroyed by bombings.' Donald Trump quickly responded to Mr Araghchi's comments, threatening on social media to 'do it again, if necessary!' Weapons programme Western powers 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. But some in the Iranian regime view atomic weapons as a deterrent against perceived threats. Iran had made progress recently, with experts fearing that it was within sprinting distance of enriching uranium to bomb grade before the Israeli and US strikes. However, Israeli and US officials believe some of Iran's stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium survived the attacks and could be salvaged by Tehran. Britain, France and Germany remain part of a 2015 nuclear deal also signed by the Obama administration, China and Russia that imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. The agreement unravelled in 2018 when Mr Trump withdrew during his first term and reimposed sweeping sanctions. The three European powers have threatened to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran by the end of August unless there is progress towards limiting its nuclear programme. The agreement expires in October, leaving a tight deadline. Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks starting in April but the negotiations ended after Israel launched its surprise strikes on Iran on June 13. 'At present, we have no plans to hold talks with the United States,' Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry. Tehran will also host a trilateral meeting on Tuesday with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions.
Al Jazeera
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Iran's FM says nuclear enrichment will continue, but open to talks
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi has said that Tehran cannot give up on its uranium enrichment programme, which was severely damaged by waves of US and Israeli air strikes last month. 'It is now stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe, but obviously, we cannot give up our enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists, and now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,' Araghchi told the US broadcaster Fox News in an interview aired on Monday. Araghchi said at the beginning of the interview that Iran is 'open to talks' with the United States, but that they would not be direct talks 'for the time being'. 'If they [the US] are coming for a win-win solution, I am ready to engage with them,' he said. 'We are ready to do any confidence-building measure needed to prove that Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever, and Iran would never go for nuclear weapons, and in return, we expect them to lift their sanctions,' the foreign minister added. 'So, my message to the United States is that let's go for a negotiated solution for Iran's nuclear programme.' Araghchi's comments were part of a 16-minute interview aired on Fox News, a broadcaster known to be closely watched by US President Donald Trump. 'There is a negotiated solution for our nuclear programme. We have done it once in the past. We are ready to do it once again,' Araghchi said. Tehran and Washington had been holding talks on the nuclear programme earlier this year, seven years after Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran signed with several world powers in 2015. Under the pact, Iran opened the country's nuclear sites to comprehensive international inspection in return for the lifting of sanctions. Trump's decision to pull the US out of the deal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of pursuing a 'secret nuclear programme'. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear enrichment programme is strictly for civilian purposes. The US and Iran engaged in talks as recently as May to reach a new deal, but those negotiations broke down when Israel launched surprise bombing raids across Iran on June 13, targeting military and nuclear sites. More than 900 people were killed in Iran, and at least 28 people were killed in Israel before a ceasefire took hold on June 24. The US also joined Israel in attacking Iranian nuclear facilities, with the Pentagon later claiming it had set back the country's nuclear programme by one to two years. Araghchi said on Monday that Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation is still evaluating how the attacks had affected Iran's enriched material, adding that they will 'soon inform' the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its findings. He said any request for the IAEA to send inspectors would be 'carefully considered'. 'We have not stopped our cooperation with the agency,' he claimed. IAEA inspectors left Iran after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA earlier this month. Tehran had sharply criticised the IAEA and its chief, Rafael Grossi, over a June 12 resolution passed by the IAEA board accusing Tehran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian officials said the resolution was among the 'excuses' that Israel used as a pretext to launch its attacks, which began on June 13 and lasted for 12 days. Speaking to journalists earlier on Monday, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general, said that the UN welcomed renewed 'dialogue between the Europeans and the Iranians', referring to talks set to take place between Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom in Turkiye on Friday. The three European parties to the former JCPOA agreement have said that Tehran's failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran.
CNA
14-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Iran says 'no specific date' for US nuclear talks following Israel conflict
TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday (Jul 14) that it had "no specific date" for a meeting with the United States on its nuclear programme, following a war with Israel that derailed ongoing negotiations. "For now, no specific date, time or location has been determined regarding this matter," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, referring to a possible meeting between Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff. The two had previously held five rounds of talks mediated by Oman since April, marking the highest-level contact between Tehran and Washington since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018. WAR HALTS TALKS The Omani-mediated discussions paused after Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities on Jun 13, triggering a 12-day conflict that the US later joined with its own attacks. "We have been serious in diplomacy and the negotiation process, we entered with good faith, but as everyone witnessed, before the sixth round the Zionist regime, in coordination with the United States, committed military aggression against Iran," Baqaei said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian later issued a statement affirming Tehran's commitment to diplomacy. "We continue to believe that the window for diplomacy remains open, and we will seriously pursue this peaceful path," he said. NUCLEAR CONCERNS AND RETALIATION Israel and several Western countries accuse Iran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim Iran denies. While Iran enriches uranium up to 60 percent purity, near weapons-grade, the UN atomic watchdog says there's no evidence Iran is working to weaponise its stockpile. The Jun 13 Israeli strikes killed nuclear scientists and senior military officers, hitting both military and residential sites. The US followed with its own attacks on Jun 22, targeting facilities in Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. The extent of damage remains unclear, and Baqaei said it was still under investigation. In response, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel and also struck a US base in Qatar. Pezeshkian warned of an "even more crushing retaliation" to any future aggression. SANCTIONS AND DIPLOMACY Baqaei said Iran remains in contact with Britain, France and Germany, the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal. However, there is "no legal, moral or political basis" for the reimposition of UN sanctions, he said. He added that Tehran would respond "appropriately and proportionately" if Europe triggers the deal's "snapback" mechanism, which could lead to renewed international sanctions. Despite tensions, Baqaei said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran still considers itself a member of the JCPOA."
