(Bloomberg) — Iran’s government confirmed that last month’s US military strikes forced it to stop uranium enrichment and said it’s open to indirect talks with Washington about the future of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
“Enrichment has now stopped because damages are serious and severe,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Fox News that aired Monday. “Obviously we cannot give up our enrichment because it’s an achievement of our own scientists, but it’s also now a question of national pride.”
Iran’s right to enrich uranium was a major stumbling block in the last round of talks with the Trump administration that were scuttled by Israel when it began bombing the Islamic Republic on June 13. The US in May hardened its position from accepting low levels of uranium enrichment by Iran to insisting that Tehran dismantle its enrichment capability entirely.
Iran says it wants to enrich uranium to the low levels needed for civilian purposes, such as fueling nuclear-power plants. Tehran advanced its nuclear program significantly after Trump quit a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in his first term, triggering concerns in the West that the Persian Gulf nation may try to develop a nuclear weapon.
Araghchi’s comments came as questions linger over the level of damage caused by a massive bombing raid ordered by US President Donald Trump on three key nuclear sites in Iran on June 22.
“If the goal is to make sure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons, that is achievable,” he said when asked about his country’s ability to reach any agreement with the US. “But if the goal is to deprive Iran from its rights, including the right of enrichment, I think we’ll have difficulty.”
The Islamic Republic is prepared to provide “any confidence-building measure needed to prove” that its atomic program will “remain peaceful forever,” said Araghchi, who also leads Iran’s negotiations on its nuclear program.
Iran continues to cooperate with the United Nations nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — and the country’s atomic energy organization is currently evaluating the full extent of the damage caused by last month’s air strikes, Araghchi said.
The US attack came toward the end of Israel’s 12-day military assault on Iran that targeted nuclear sites, military generals, critical infrastructure, commercial and residential districts in Tehran, hospitals and a prison housing hundreds of political detainees.
More than 1,000 Iranians, mostly civilians, were killed by Israel’s strikes. At least 29 Israeli civilians died in Iran’s subsequent missile attacks.
While the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on June 24, the risk of another confrontation remains high as Israel continues to threaten Iran with further attacks. Tehran insists it will continue its nuclear program as well as support for armed groups that challenge Israeli and US interests in the Middle East.
Israel’s military campaign against Iran “is not over,” the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.
In addition to the proposed indirect talks with the US that Araghchi referred to, Iran agreed to hold discussions with France, the UK and Germany on Friday about its nuclear program. Iranian officials are also continuing parallel discussions with their Russian and Chinese counterparts.
“Any settlement for Iran’s nuclear program should include enrichment because that’s our right and we’ll never give it up,” Araghchi told Fox. Iran also will maintain its missile program, which is “still in very good shape” despite attacks by Israel on Iranian air defenses.
“That’s our most reliable means of defense,” Araghchi said. “I can tell you our missiles are of a deterrent nature, they are for defense, not offense, and I can assure you Iran’s missiles will never have a nuclear warhead.”
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