KEY POINTS
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says no agreement is possible if Iran’s rights are curtailed
- The IAEA reported increased Iranian uranium enrichment up to 60%
- Iran rejected the IAEA’s findings and accused some countries of exploiting the agency
- Iran is demanding guarantees from the US on the lifting of sanctions
- The US has sent a nuclear deal proposal to Iran
- Iran insists it will not accept any deal that violates its red lines.
CAIRO, Egypt: Iran said on Monday that it will not accept a nuclear agreement that deprives it of “peaceful activities”, a reference to uranium enrichment, as it pressed the United States for guarantees it will drop sanctions.
Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention between Washington and Tehran in talks to seal a nuclear deal since April, with Iran defending what it says is its pursuit of a civil nuclear programme but with the US side calling it a “red line”.
Speaking in Cairo, where he met the UN nuclear watchdog’s chief Rafael Grossi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, as quoted by AFP: “If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached.”
Araghchi insisted that Iran has “nothing to hide” on its nuclear programme.
“Iran has a peaceful nuclear programme… we are prepared to provide this assurance to any party or entity,” he said.
The remarks came after Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had stepped up uranium enrichment.
The IAEA report showed that Iran has stepped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent — close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.
Iran rejects IAEA’s report
“There is a need for more transparency — this is very, very clear — in Iran, and nothing will bring us to this confidence (besides) full explanations of a number of activities,” Grossi said ahead of meeting Araghchi.
Grossi added that some of the report’s findings “may be uncomfortable for some, and we are… used to being criticised”.
Iran has rejected the report, warning it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions “exploit” it.
“Some countries are trying to abuse this agency to pave the way for escalation with Iran. I hope that this agency does not fall into this trap,” Araghchi said of the IAEA.
Iran meanwhile pushed for the United States to drop sanctions that have crippled its economy as a condition for a nuclear agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration.
Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received “elements” of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman.
Uranium enrichment
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference: “We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted.”
“So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue,” he said.
The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that Trump’s administration would oppose any Iranian enrichment.
“An enrichment programme can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That’s our red line. No enrichment,” Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News.
Iran has vowed to keep enriching uranium “with or without a deal” on its nuclear programme.
The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called “acceptable” and in Tehran’s “best interest” to accept, US media reported on Saturday.
The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power.
Iran’s red lines
Foreign Minister Araqchi, during a cabinet session on Sunday, announced that Iran is preparing a response to an official proposal of the United States regarding the nuclear talks.
Iran received the proposal on Saturday from Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi during his visit to Tehran, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
The proposal, prepared by Witkoff, is the first official proposal sent to Iran since the two sides began the ongoing negotiations in early April.
During a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said Iran will consider its own red lines when responding to the recent US proposal.
Iran would not accept any text containing “radical and maximal demands” that disregard the legitimate rights and interests of the Iranian nation, he said as reported by IRNA.
The official clarified that receiving a proposal does not imply acceptance or even acceptability.
Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. – Agencies
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
