Iran says ‘has every right’ to enrich uranium, dismissing US concerns

TEHRAN: Iran defended on Saturday its “right” to enrich uranium despite growing Western concern that Tehran may be seeking nuclear weapons and as talks with the United States were delayed.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” citing Tehran’s long-standing membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“There are several NPT members which enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons,” Araghchi said.

Under the NPT, signatory states are obliged to declare their nuclear stockpiles and place them under the supervision of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons -- a claim Tehran denies, insisting that its atomic programme is solely for civilian purposes.

Iran and the United States have engaged in nuclear talks since April 12, their highest-level contact since Washington withdrew from a landmark deal with Tehran in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term as US president.

A fourth round of talks initially scheduled for Saturday has been postponed, mediator Oman said earlier this week, citing “logistical reasons”.

In a Thursday interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Iran to “walk away” from enrichment, saying that “the only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons.”

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60-percent purity -- far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal with the United States and other world powers, but below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.

The stockpile remains a concern for Western powers.

On Monday French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Iran was “on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons” and said UN sanctions could be reimposed if Tehran’s actions threatened European security.

Iran rejected the comments from France -- a signatory to the 2015 nuclear deal -- as “simply absurd”.

Araghchi has previously called Iran’s right to enrich uranium “non-negotiable”.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday that the enriched material “can be easily dissolved” or “shipped out” of Iran.

Last month, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani described the transfer of enriched material as a “red line”.

Rubio said Iran should allow inspections of its nuclear facilities, including by US experts.

Tehran has insisted that the talks with Washington be solely focused on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions, ruling out negotiations on its regional influence and military capabilities.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a credible deal must “remove Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons” and prevent the development of ballistic missiles. Araghchi responded by accusing Netanyahu of “dictating” US policy.