Iran weighs participation in next round of nuclear talks with the US: FM

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Tehran is weighing participation in the next round of nuclear talks with the United States. The remarks come a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast doubt over the renewed engagement amid mounting US demands to fully curtail Iran’s uranium enrichment program.

The state-run Iranian news agency (IRNA) on Wednesday quoted Araghchi as stating, “We will stand firm against excessive demands [by the US] at the negotiating table, but we have never abandoned diplomacy.”

The senior Iranian diplomat, who currently heads Tehran’s nuclear negotiations team noted, “We are currently assessing whether to participate in the next round of talks,” and whether this participation “could be effective and beneficial.”

Araghchi’s remarks come a day after Iranian Supreme Leader, Khamenei, on Tuesday expressed skepticism about the prospects of success in the ongoing negotiations.

Referring to talks held during the tenure of the late President Ebrahim Raisi (1960–2024), Khamenei remarked, “During his [Raisi’s] time, indirect negotiations were conducted like the ongoing ones, but they did not reach a conclusion.”

“We do not think they will reach a conclusion now; we do not know what will happen,” he added.

He further dismissed recent remarks by US officials about restricting Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday stated that Washington was inching closer to securing a nuclear deal with Tehran.

"We're in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace," Trump said, adding, “We're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this.”

However on the same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that Iran is "too close for comfort" to acquiring nuclear weapons. He stressed concern over both Iran’s enrichment activities and its missile development.

Rubio’s concerns were echoed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff who on Sunday insisted that any agreement must include a total restriction on uranium enrichment.

"We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1 percent of an enrichment capability," Witkoff told ABC, adding that “enrichment enables weaponization and we will not allow a bomb to get here.”

Of note, Witkoff currently leads the US nuclear negotiation team.

In a swift response to Witkoff’s remarks, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Araghchi stated on Sunday that “unrealistic expectations stop negotiations. Enrichment in Iran is not something that can be stopped,” according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

On Wednesday, Araghchi reiterated that Tehran had already responded to the “unreasonable demands” - a likely reference to the US demands to halt Iran’s enrichment capabilities.

“Such unusual rhetoric does not help the progress of the talks,” the senior Iranian diplomat said, affirming, “Our position is completely clear; enrichment will continue, whether there is an agreement or not.”

He further underlined that “there must be discussions about lifting the oppressive sanctions imposed due to claims about our nuclear program, and those sanctions must be removed.”

The indirect, Oman-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington resumed on April 12, with the fourth and most recent round held on May 12.

The revived talks mark the most substantial engagement between the two sides since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal - formally known as the Joint Cooperation Plan of Action (JCPOA) - under which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

In 2018, President Trump, during his first term in office, withdrew the US from the agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran.

In response, Tehran gradually scaled back its compliance with the deal, while insisting that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and that pursuing nuclear weapons contradicts the principles of the Islamic Republic.

Nevertheless, a December 2023 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) raised serious concerns about Iran's nuclear activities, particularly its stepped-up uranium enrichment.

The report, along with follow-ups in early 2024, highlighted that Iran had “significantly increased production and accumulation of high enriched uranium,” especially at the Fordow facility.

The IAEA warned that enrichment from 60 to 90 percent purity - the threshold typically required for a nuclear weapon - requires only a short technical step.