Iran’s foreign minister issued a defiant warning on Sunday, declaring that Tehran will never abandon uranium enrichment — even under the threat of war — as tensions with Washington escalate and diplomatic efforts falter.

Speaking at a forum in Tehran, Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not yield to foreign pressure over its nuclear program, saying enrichmen is a matter of national sovereignty.

“Iran has paid a very heavy price for its peaceful nuclear program and for uranium enrichment,” Araghchi said. “Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior.”

The remarks came just two days after Araghchi met in Oman with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, part of renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation over Tehran’s nuclear activities.

Araghchi also dismissed recent U.S. military deployments in the Persian Gulf, saying Iran was not intimidated by American firepower.
“Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he said.

His comments underscore Iran’s increasingly confrontational posture toward Washington, even as the United States signals it is prepared to use force if negotiations fail.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that military action remains on the table if Iran does not accept limits on its nuclear program.

The administration has also expanded its military presence in the region following Tehran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests, which killed thousands and led to mass arrests.

Before last year’s war involving Israel and the United States, Iran had enriched uranium to 60 percent purity — a level just short of weapons-grade material. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country in the world producing uranium at that level.

Western officials argue that such enrichment has no credible civilian justification and represents a direct pathway to a nuclear weapon.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that any agreement with Tehran must go far beyond uranium enrichment.

He said talks must address Iran’s ballistic missile program, its backing of proxy militant groups across the Middle East, and what he called the regime’s repression at home.

“The treatment of their own people” must be part of any deal, Rubio said.

Iran, however, has shown little willingness to broaden negotiations. Officials in Tehran continue to portray U.S. demands as illegitimate interference and insist their nuclear program is peaceful — despite international assessments to the contrary.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)