Iran has no plans to abandon its nuclear program including uranium enrichment despite the "severe" damage caused by US strikes to its facilities, the country's foreign minister said ahead of renewed talks with European powers.
Iran is scheduled to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday, July 25, to discuss its nuclear program, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
The meeting will be the first since Iran's 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the United States carried out strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities.
For now, enrichment "is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" on Monday, July 21. "But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists," he continued, calling it a source of "national pride".
US President Donald Trump responded to the comments on his platform Truth Social, saying 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 United States, plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Trump's first term, unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
Though 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," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei ahead of Friday's talks in Istanbul on the deal's future.
Iran will also host a trilateral meeting Tuesday with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes in account the legitimate concerns of all parties".
In recent weeks, the three European powers have threatened to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of breaching its nuclear commitments.