Iran Warns: Nuclear Talks to Fail if US Pushes for Zero Enrichment

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has once again highlighted uranium enrichment as the country's red line in the upcoming nuclear talks with the United States, stressing that there would be no deal if the US insisted on zero enrichment in Iran.

“We will not give up our rights, and our nuclear program, including enrichment, must continue. But we are ready to take confidence-building measures,” Araghchi said.

“I declare frankly that if what American officials have said in their interviews, that they do not believe in enrichment in Iran, is true, there will be no agreement,” he stated.

The foreign minister “But if its goal is to ensure that nuclear weapons are not obtained, this can be achieved because we are not seeking nuclear weapons in principle.”

The minister said Iran has never sought to build a nuclear weapon, although it possesses the technical capability to do that, reiterating that nuclear weapons have no place in Iran's defense doctrine.

Referring to “Israel's” threats about attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, Araghchi said Iran is ready to defend itself and its response will be rapid and strong.

He added that Iran considers the US responsible for any possible "Israeli" attack, whether American forces are involved or not, because "Israel" will never dare to attack Iran without coordination with the US.

He also touched on threats posed by the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to activate its snapback mechanism and restore UN sanctions against Iran.

He said Europeans could restore those sanctions, but in that case, they would lose contact with Iran, and cause a crisis for the global non-proliferation system.