Iran: We Will Not Back Down on Uranium Enrichment Rights in Talks with US – Foreign Minister

Tehran – February 8, 2026 — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has firmly stated that Tehran will not compromise on its right to uranium enrichment during any negotiations with the United States, reiterating that the Islamic Republic remains unafraid of American military threats or troop deployments in the region.
Addressing a public event in Tehran, FM Araghchi declared:
Iran will never retreat from its right to uranium enrichment in talks with the United States.
The country is not intimidated by U.S. threats of war or the presence of American forces in the Middle East.
“No one has the right to lecture us on our behavior,” he said, adding that the West fears Iran’s nuclear program even though “we are not building an atomic bomb.”
Iran is open to implementing confidence-building measures related to its nuclear program in exchange for the complete removal of economic sanctions.
The remarks come amid renewed speculation about possible indirect or direct talks between Tehran and Washington following the change of administration in the United States and ongoing regional tensions. Araghchi’s comments appear to set clear red lines ahead of any potential diplomatic engagement.
Iran has consistently maintained that uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes is an inalienable right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a position repeatedly endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Foreign Minister’s statement also reflects Iran’s current policy of linking any rollback or transparency measures in the nuclear field to the lifting of U.S.-led sanctions that were reimposed after the American withdrawal from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) in 2018.
Western governments and Israel continue to express concern over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, including enrichment levels reportedly reaching close to weapons-grade purity in recent months, although Tehran insists its activities remain exclusively peaceful.