Foreign Minister Araqchi Says Iran Will Continue To Strengthen Uranium Exist Or Not Agreed

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran would continue its uranium enrichment activity under the country's civilian nuclear program with or without a deal with the United States.

In a post on his X account on Sunday evening, Foreign Minister Araqchi showed Iran's rights as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was "very clear" and "there is no scenario where Iran will allow deviations from it."

"Responding to enrichment technology is a scientific achievement that is obtained with difficulty and domestic work; the result of great sacrifices, both blood and property," he said, launching IRNA May 19.

"If the US is interested in ensuring Iran will not have nuclear weapons, a deal can be reached, and we are ready for serious talks to reach a solution that will forever ensure that outcome. However, enrichment in Iran will continue with or without an agreement," he stressed.

He also dismissed the final statement by U.S. major negotiator Steve Witkoff, who said Washington would not allow Iran to have even one percent of enrichment capabilities.

"Our US interlocutors are naturally free to state publicly whatever they deem appropriate to ward off Special Interest groups; the bad actors who set the agenda for at least the previous government," he said.

"Iran can only control what we, the Iranians, do, and that is to avoid public negotiations, especially given the current dissonance we are seeing between what our US counterparts say in public and personally, and from one week to another," he added.

Tehran and Washington have held four rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman over Iran's nuclear program and halted US sanctions against the country.