Iran has agreed to resume indirect nuclear talks with the United States in Rome on Friday as tensions over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions continue to rise. The talks, confirmed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Wednesday, will mark the fifth round of such negotiations this year, aimed at reviving diplomatic efforts to scale back Iran’s atomic program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated on Wednesday that Tehran will not halt uranium enrichment, even as American officials insist that any agreement must include an end to that process. “I have said it before, and I repeat it again: uranium enrichment in Iran will continue—with or without an agreement,” Araghchi said on state television.
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Iran is reportedly continuing to enrich uranium to 60% purity—just short of weapons-grade. The 2015 nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump exited in 2018, had capped Iran’s enrichment at 3.67%.
Araghchi said Tehran remains committed to diplomacy but will not yield to “excessive demands.” He added, “We have never abandoned diplomacy. We will always be present at the negotiating table, and the main reason for our presence is to defend the rights of the Iranian people.”
The US has not publicly announced that it will be attending the talks in Rome.