Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Tehran will not abandon its uranium enrichment program despite significant damage from recent conflicts with Israel and strikes from the United States.
In an interview with Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Monday, Araghchi stated, “It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up on enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride.”
The nuclear facilities in Iran suffered serious damage following strikes by Israel and the U.S. last month. Key sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were hit, impacting Iran’s ability to enrich uranium.
Araghchi also mentioned that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in “good health” and expressed openness to nuclear talks with the United States, although not directly “for the time being.”
Before the conflict escalated, Tehran and Washington had engaged in five rounds of nuclear negotiations mediated by Oman. However, they failed to reach an agreement on Iran’s uranium enrichment levels. A planned meeting on June 15 was canceled after Israel launched strikes on Iran, leading to a 12-day conflict. A ceasefire between Israel and Iran was reached in late June.
The United States and Israel have expressed concerns that Iran was close to enriching uranium to levels sufficient for quickly producing a nuclear weapon. Iran, however, maintains that its enrichment activities are solely for civilian purposes.
Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, committing to non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy, while Israel is not. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has stated it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated nuclear weapons program in Iran.
