Iran: Preserving Uranium Enrichment Redline in Talks with US

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has reiterated the Islamic Republic’s right to enrich uranium, stressing that the issue is a red line in the indirect negotiations with the United States.

Gharibabadi made the remarks at a meeting of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy commission on Sunday, where he briefed the lawmakers on the second round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, held in Rome, Italy, the day before.

Ebrahim Rezaei, the committee's spokesman, said Gharibabadi attended the session to elaborate on the content of the negotiations.

During the meeting, Gharibabadi noted that the Iranian side has once again emphasized that the Islamic Republic is not seeking to build nuclear weapons and that the country's nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.

He also said one of the main issues of the talks had been the complete lifting of sanctions, including those issued by the US Congress and the executive orders signed by US President Donald Trump.

Gharibabadi also emphasized that the removal of sanctions must be thorough and effective, ensuring tangible economic benefits for the Iranian nation rather than serving as merely a symbolic gesture.

Rezaei quoted the deputy foreign minister as saying that the parties have discussed the general framework, agenda, and technical issues and have reached an understanding in the Rome negotiations.

He said that technical negotiations at the expert level will be held in Muscat on Wednesday, adding that the parties are currently extracting and formulating the general principles of the talks.

Rezaei further stated that Iran is completely serious about the talks and does not accept any delay in the negotiation process, adding that the other side should also enter the talks seriously and avoid being influenced by the pressures of "Israel" that seeks to destroy the negotiation process.

A second round of talks between Tehran and Washington, centered on Iran's nuclear program and the termination of American sanctions against the country, was held at the Omani Embassy in Rome on Saturday.

The negotiations were led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and were again mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi.

Top negotiators from the two countries will meet again on April 26 to evaluate the results of the expert meetings and see how close they will be to an agreement.