Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takhtravanchi threatened on Monday, as reported by state media, that nuclear talks with the United States "will lead nowhere" if Washington insists Tehran suspend all uranium enrichment.
On Sunday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff restated America's insistence that any future deal with Iran must contain a pledge to end uranium enrichment—a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful energy use only.
"Whatever our position on enrichment, we have made it over and over again that it is a national accomplishment in which we will not retreat," Takhtravanchi reiterated.
Last week, in a visit to the Persian Gulf, President Donald Trump signaled a deal was imminent but emphasized Iran needed to move quickly to end the longstanding contention.
An Iranian foreign ministry official condemned Washington for weakening the negotiations by making positions in public that are contrary to the positions negotiated behind closed doors. "In spite of contradictory remarks from the Americans, we are still attending the negotiations," Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
A fifth round of negotiations is provisionally set to be held in Rome this weekend subject to confirmation, an Iranian official told Reuters.
In his initial term of office (2017-2021), Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord with other world powers, which had placed strict restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment in exchange for economic sanctions relief. Describing the deal as one-sided in favor of Iran, Trump reimposed wide-ranging sanctions, which urged Iran to increase its enrichment efforts in retaliation.
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