On Monday evening, President Donald Trump sought to clarify his administration’s stance on nuclear talks with Iran, emphasizing that Tehran would not be permitted to “enrich uranium.”
This statement, shared across various social media platforms, likely addressed a report from Axios that cited sources familiar with confidential proposals from Washington to Tehran. According to the report, the U.S. would consider permitting “limited low levels of uranium enrichment” in Iran.
The details of this proposal couldn’t be independently verified by Fox News Digital, but if any agreement were to allow Iran some level of uranium enrichment, it would contradict previous public statements from key negotiators like Marco Rubio and Trump’s Secretary of State, Steve Witkov.
Iran has consistently maintained its right to uranium enrichment, asserting that this process is vital for nuclear energy. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi reiterated this view during a press conference in Egypt, mentioning that a response to the U.S. proposal would be forthcoming.
While Arakchi did not divulge specifics about the proposal, he indicated that the response would align with the Iranian state’s principles. Reportedly, the proposal includes the idea of Iran joining a regional consortium for uranium enrichment to meet its needs. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, dismissed this notion, stating that such a consortium would not be a viable substitute for domestic enrichment.
Baqaei noted that while Iran would be open to participating in proposed processes, it cannot replace the necessity of enrichment within Iran itself. The White House has raised concerns that Iran could simply be delaying as the threat of U.N. snapback sanctions approaches its end in October. Consequently, there hasn’t been any clarity on how long the U.S. will continue negotiations regarding the nuclear program.
Iran has affirmed it will not withdraw from negotiations, but at the same time, it hinted that it wouldn’t easily concede to Washington’s demands.
According to a spokesperson from the Iranian government, “Every scenario is on the table. We’re prepared for everything.”
