‘Non-starter’: Iran blames US ‘maximalist’ demands for stalling face-to-face talks, rejects giving up uranium
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Non-starter’: Iran blames US ‘maximalist’ demands for stalling face-to-face talks, rejects giving up uranium")
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh Photograph: (AFP)
Iran has rejected US “maximalist” demands, with Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh stating it will not hand over enriched uranium.
Iran is not ready to hold a new round of face-to-face talks with the United States due to Washington’s refusal to abandon “maximalist” demands on key issues, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said. He added that his country will not give up its enriched uranium to the US, dismissing claims made by US President Donald Trump. This comes after Tehran reimposed restrictions on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, accusing the US of “breaches of trust” amid the fragile ceasefire. Meanwhile, Trump has said that negotiations were ongoing but warned Tehran that the US won’t tolerate “blackmail” over the strait.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Khatibzadeh said, “I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to the United States.” He added, “This is non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we’re not going to accept things that are nonstarters.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump said the US will go into Iran and “get all the nuclear dust.” It is believed that 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium were buried under nuclear sites that were severely damaged after being targeted by US strikes last year.
Khatibzadeh said that while there have been many exchanges of messages between both sides, the US was holding firm demands that were viewed as excessive by Iran.
“We are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position,” he said, adding that Tehran was seeking the finalisation of a “framework agreement” before moving to in-person discussions.
“The other sides also should understand and address our main concerns, which are illegal unilateral sanctions that Americans have imposed on Iranians and this economic terrorism which has targeted Iranian people to suffocate them and make them to revolt against the political structure inside Iran,” Khatibzadeh said.
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When asked whether Tehran would respond to renewed Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite the ceasefire, Khatibzadeh said that “Iran has no option, just to stop aggressors once and forever.”
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
