Iran has no plans to abandon its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, despite the “severe” damage caused by US strikes to its facilities, the nation’s foreign minister said ahead of renewed talks with European powers.
Iran is scheduled to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday to discuss its nuclear program, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
The meeting would be the first since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the US carried out strikes against Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
Photo: EPA
For now, enrichment “is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe,” Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi told Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on Monday.
“But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists,” he said, calling it a source of “national pride.”
US President Donald Trump responded to the comments on his platform Truth Social, saying that Washington would carry out strikes again “if necessary.”
The 2015 agreement, reached between Iran and UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the US, plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, it unraveled in 2018 when the US, during Trump’s first term, unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
Although Europe pledged continued support, a mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never effectively materialized, forcing many Western firms to exit Iran and deepening its economic crisis.
“Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement,” Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said ahead of Friday’s talks.
Iran yesterday was also due to host a trilateral meeting with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Beijing would “continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes into account the legitimate concerns of all parties.”
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