MOSCOW: Russia said Tuesday that Iran had the “right” to a peaceful nuclear programme, a day after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to rule out “any” enrichment of uranium by Tehran in a new nuclear pact.
Uranium enrichment has been a key point of contention in five rounds of talks since April to ink a new accord that would replace the deal abandoned by Trump during his first term in 2018.
“Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” Trump said on his Truth Social network on Monday.
Republican Trump also blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the impasse, saying the Democrat “should have stopped Iran a long time ago from ‘enriching.’”
Asked about Trump’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Countries have the right to peaceful energy, the use of peaceful atomic energy must take place exclusively under the strict control of the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
“We believe that countries should keep this right,” he added.
Peskov also repeated Moscow’s support for talks “aimed at a peaceful resolution” of the standoff between Iran and the United States.
According to Axios, the latest proposal that Washington had sent Tehran on Saturday would allow limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, for an amount of time that has yet to be determined.
Iran rules out nuclear deal
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Tehran will not accept a nuclear agreement that deprives it of “peaceful activities”.
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.
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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
