Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over uranium, nuclear chief says
USO•Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said Iran would not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium after the United States called for meaningful reductions in Iran’s enrichment capacity.
1. Iran rejects enrichment demands
Eslami dismissed renewed U.S. threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities as “nothing new” and called enrichment “an inseparable part” of the nuclear process. He said Iran would not abandon enrichment or hand over its uranium.
2. Proposals and negotiations
Iran and the United States have exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran could respond within days to a U.S. response to its proposal, which said the strait could reopen within seven days if necessary conditions were met. U.S. President Donald Trump later said discussions with Iran were productive and that the United States would not attack before the November midterm elections.
3. Enrichment levels
Israel, the United States and other Western states have accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, citing its enrichment of uranium to 60%, compared with the 90% needed for a weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, and Iranian authorities have said Tehran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium.
