Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that Tehran will never forgo its right to enrich uranium and that the other side will have no choice but to accept this, according to Abu Ali Express. He added that in earlier rounds the US also demanded Iran's ballistic missiles be part of talks, but now acknowledges that like other countries, Iran should retain its missile capability — and that 'the rules of the game have changed.'
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hardened Tehran's public stance on nuclear talks Sunday, declaring that the Islamic Republic will never cede its right to enrich uranium and that international partners have accepted Iran's retention of ballistic missiles, according to a statement carried by the Abu Ali Express channel.
Pezeshkian said that while the US once demanded Iran's missile program be included in negotiations, Washington now accepts the principle that Iran, like other states, should retain ballistic missiles. 'The rules of the game have changed,' he said, without specifying whether this reflects a formal shift in American policy or his interpretation of the talks' trajectory.
The remarks follow a pattern of escalating Iranian defiance this week. As The Zioneer reported, Pezeshkian said Sunday that Tehran pledged not to seek nuclear weapons in response to a US request, and last Friday Iran confirmed that any nuclear framework would affirm its right to enrich uranium and retain enriched materials on its soil.
The statement provides no substantive detail on the current state of negotiations or whether a framework has been finalized. Pezeshkian did not address the status of ongoing talks with the US or the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
4 developments
- DevelopingIran's president: 'We will not bow to American arrogance'
- DevelopingIran's Pezeshkian: 'We will not surrender' after overnight clashes
- DevelopingIran's Pezeshkian: 'The enemy must only dream we will yield to aggression'
- StrongIran threatens breach of MoU, rejects removal of enriched uranium from the country
Source and signal
- Internal intake