President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will not give up its right to enrich uranium and warned the U.S. would be forced to accept it [1].
This stance signals a refusal by Tehran to compromise on core elements of its nuclear program, potentially complicating diplomatic efforts to prevent the escalation of nuclear capabilities in the region.
Pezeshkian said the remarks during an annual monetary-policy conference broadcast on Iranian state media [1]. He said that the Islamic Republic will not give up its right to enrichment and that the U.S. will be forced to accept this reality [1].
The president said that while Iran is willing to guarantee it will not build a nuclear bomb, it will not relinquish its enrichment rights [3]. This distinction separates the pursuit of nuclear weaponry from the sovereign right to process nuclear materials for other purposes.
Iran asserts that uranium enrichment is a sovereign right [2]. Pezeshkian said that the government refuses to negotiate on its ballistic-missile program [1].
"We will not give up our right to enrich uranium," Pezeshkian said [2].
The comments come amid ongoing international scrutiny of Iran's nuclear activities. The president's rhetoric emphasizes a policy of national sovereignty over international concessions, a position that remains a primary point of contention with Western powers.
“Iran will not give up its ‘right to enrichment,’ and the US ‘will be forced to accept it.'”
Pezeshkian's statements reinforce a hardline approach to nuclear sovereignty, suggesting that any future diplomatic agreements will likely exclude the total cessation of uranium enrichment. By offering a guarantee against building a bomb while refusing to stop enrichment, Iran is attempting to maintain its technical capabilities while attempting to mitigate the risk of direct military conflict with the U.S.
