https://arab.news/nkqpe
- Iran described Sunday鈥檚 talks as 鈥渄ifficult but useful鈥� while a senior US official said Washington was 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� and both sides confirmed plans for future negotiations
TEHRAN: Iran is open to accepting temporary limits on its uranium enrichment, its deputy foreign minister said Tuesday, while adding that talks with the US have yet to address such specifics.
Tehran and Washington on Sunday held their fourth round of nuclear talks, which kicked off last month, marking their highest-level contact since the US in 2018 pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal.
鈥淔or a limited period of time, we can accept a series of restrictions on the level and volume of enrichment,鈥� said Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
鈥淲e have not yet gone into details about the level and volume of enrichment,鈥� he said, quoted by Tasnim news agency.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent purity 鈥� far above the 3.67 percent limit set in the 2015 deal but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Iran was the only country in the world without nuclear weapons that enriches uranium to that level.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at the latest talks that the right to enrich uranium was 鈥渘on-negotiable,鈥� while US chief negotiator Steve Witkoff called it a 鈥渞ed line.鈥�
The Islamic republic began rolling back its commitments to the deal a year after the US withdrawal.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his 鈥渕aximum pressure鈥� approach against Tehran. While backing nuclear diplomacy, he also warned of potential military action if it fails.
Iran described Sunday鈥檚 talks as 鈥渄ifficult but useful鈥� while a senior US official said Washington was 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� and both sides confirmed plans for future negotiations.
The talks are being held in 鈥渇ull coordination鈥� with the supreme leader, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, according to a presidency statement on Tuesday.
鈥淚n the negotiations, we will not retreat from our principles in any way, but at the same time, we do not want tensions,鈥� he added.
Also on Tuesday, Iran鈥檚 atomic energy agency chief, Mohammad Eslami, described the country鈥檚 nuclear industry as its 鈥渨ealth and strength,鈥� according to ISNA news agency.
Despite the talks, Washington has continued to impose sanctions targeting Iran鈥檚 nuclear program and oil industry, with the latest announced on Monday.
鈥淭here is no doubt that there is a lot of pressure on us,鈥� said Ali Larijani, a close adviser to Iran鈥檚 supreme leader, while noting that not all of Iran鈥檚 problems were due to the sanctions.