ISLAMABAD, May 19 (Alliance News): Iran on Monday expressed openness to establishing a regional nuclear fuel consortium while reiterating that it will not stop enriching uranium.
Tehran and Washington have held four rounds of Omani-mediated nuclear talks since April 12, marking the highest-level contact between the two adversaries since the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord.
US officials have strongly opposed Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, but Tehran has consistently maintained that enrichment is “non-negotiable.”
International media outlets, including The Guardian and The New York Times, recently reported that Iran proposed forming a regional consortium for uranium enrichment.
However, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei denied that Iran formally proposed this idea but acknowledged it had been floated by several countries previously.
“Some countries justify this proposal by the regional need for nuclear power and new power plants requiring nuclear fuel,” Baqaei said during a weekly press briefing.
“If such an initiative is proposed, we would welcome it and could participate, but it does not replace Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.”
The New York Times quoted anonymous Iranian officials stating that Tehran suggested a joint nuclear enrichment venture involving regional Arab countries and American investments as an alternative to Washington’s demand for Iran to dismantle its nuclear program.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s commitment to continue uranium enrichment “with or without a deal,” responding to US negotiator Steve Witkoff’s statement that Washington “cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability.”
Currently, Iran enriches uranium up to 60%, well above the 3.67% limit set by the 2015 accord but below the 90% threshold required for nuclear weapons.
Western nations, including the US, accuse Iran of seeking atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies, stating its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Since the talks began, Tehran has criticised what it calls contradictory US positions on its nuclear programme. Araghchi noted the “dissonance between what our US interlocutors say in public and in private.”
