DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that if the United States’ goal was to deprive Iran of its “nuclear rights,” Tehran would never back down on that front.
Araghchi was speaking in Doha a day ahead of another round of planned nuclear talks between Iran and the US in Oman.
“If the goal of the negotiations is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights,” state media quoted Araghchi as saying.
Iran has repeatedly said its right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable and has ruled out a “zero enrichment” demand by some US officials.
But US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said in an interview on Friday that Iran’s “enrichment facilities have to be dismantled” under any accord with the United States.
Trump, who withdrew Washington from a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers meant to curb its nuclear activity, has threatened to bomb Iran if no new deal is reached to resolve the long-unresolved dispute.
Western countries say Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran accelerated after the US walkout from the now moribund 2015 accord, is geared toward producing weapons, whereas Iran insists it is purely for civilian purposes. However, Tehran regularly threatens to flatten Israeli cities and is currently enriching uranium to levels that have no civilian use.
“In its indirect talks with the United States, Iran emphasizes its right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and clearly declares that it is not seeking nuclear weapons,” Araghchi claimed.
“Iran continues negotiations in good faith, and if the goal of these talks is to ensure the non-acquisition of nuclear weapons, an agreement is possible. However, if the aim is to limit Iran’s nuclear rights, Iran will never retreat from its rights.”
Witkoff was set to travel to Oman on Sunday for the fourth round of Omani-mediated talks with Araghchi, a source familiar with the matter said. The fourth round of negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons.”
Araghchi visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday, a day before the fourth round of negotiations and days before Trump is expected to visit those countries. Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16 on his first major Middle East trip of his second term. The president is not expected to visit Israel on the trip.
Trump provoked Araghchi’s ire earlier this month by indicating that the US would decide how to call the Persian Gulf, following reports that Washington could officially rename it the Gulf of Arabia. Araghchi condemned the decision as showing “hostile intent toward Iran and its people.”
Ahead of the trip, Trump had predicted that Saudi-Israel normalization would happen “very quickly.” However, sources cited by Reuters have said Trump has dropped the demand that Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel as a condition for progress on a civil nuclear program.
Jacob Magid and agencies contributed to this report.