Iranupdated 1h ago2 min read
Iran’s Atomic Energy Chief Mohammad Eslami Rejects US Demands To Halt Uranium Enrichment
Eslami: Iran will not abandon enrichment or hand over enriched uranium. Enrichment is Iran's national right and inseparable from the nuclear process.
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Eslami rejects US demand
Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, dismissing renewed US threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities as “nothing new.” Eslami told reporters that “Enrichment is an inseparable part of the nuclear process” and argued that Iran cannot claim to have a nuclear industry without the starting point of the process. Eslami also said, “We will not hand over the uranium,” while Iranian state media reported his remarks on Thursday.
Abbas Aragchi said Iran could reply within days to a US response to an Iranian proposal under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within seven days if necessary conditions were met. The dispute over enrichment ran alongside Iran and the United States exchanging proposals aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
White House frames Vance
A White House official said the remarks of the United States vice president about Iran’s uranium enrichment do not represent a new position. The official told Al Jazeera that “Vance’s remarks do not indicate a new position on Iran’s nuclear program,” and the official said the remarks reaffirmed that Tehran must present a concrete proposal to address the nuclear issue. The White House official also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that “all naval mines have been removed or detonated,” while “dozens of millions of barrels of oil” cross Hormuz daily.
The White House official said Trump will not allow the Iranian regime to deceive him, as past U.S. presidents have been deceived. In a separate account, the same White House interpretation said Vance used the phrase “reduce its enrichment capability” rather than “stop,” while earlier U.S. officials had used “stop” for Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Talks, threats, and timing
US President Donald Trump said the United States is having productive discussions with Iran and will not launch any attack before the US midterm congressional elections in November. Eslami’s rejection of enrichment demands came as Iran and the United States exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The US demand described in the sources called for “meaningful” reductions in Iran’s enrichment capacity, while Eslami insisted enrichment is “an inseparable part” of the nuclear process.
“Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.”
The sources also described Israel, the US and other Western states as long accusing Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, including pointing to Iran’s move to enrich uranium to 60 percent, while Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. The sources said Iran’s authorities have indicated Tehran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium as part of a broader agreement, even as Eslami said Iran would not hand over enriched uranium.