Washington, DC – Iran and the United States are set to resume nuclear talks in Rome on Friday, as announced by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
These discussions come despite a widening rift over the contentious issue of uranium enrichment between the two nations.
In recent statements, officials from both countries have expressed starkly opposing views, deepening the impasse in negotiations.
US officials have made it clear that their position demands Iran not only reduce its nuclear program but also cease all uranium enrichment activities.
Tehran, however, has firmly rejected this demand, asserting that halting enrichment is a nonstarter.
Uranium enrichment, which involves processing uranium atoms to produce nuclear fuel, remains a significant point of contention.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasized on Tuesday that the country does not require US approval for its enrichment activities.
Khamenei was responding to remarks by the US’s chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, who referred to uranium enrichment as a “red line” for Washington, stating they “cannot allow even 1 percent of an enrichment capability.”
Both Iranian and US officials have reiterated their respective stances, showing little sign of compromise.
The US has suggested that Iran can operate nuclear reactors for energy by importing already enriched uranium, arguing that domestic uranium production poses a risk of weaponization.
Iran, on the other hand, continues to assert that its uranium enrichment efforts are solely for civilian purposes and fall within its rights as a sovereign nation.
This ongoing conflict is set against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions, particularly with Israel, which is widely believed to maintain an undeclared nuclear arsenal.
President Donald Trump has consistently issued threats of military action against Iran should a deal remain elusive, emphasizing that he will prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
During his first term, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, a landmark agreement that had encouraged Iran to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
Since the US exit from the JCPOA, additional sanctions have been imposed on the Iranian economy, continuing under Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” policy following his second inauguration in January.
This strategy has also included aggressive moves to diminish the country’s oil exports, particularly targeting China.
Despite these external pressures, Iran has remained resolute, pledging to defend itself against any potential military aggression.
Although tensions showed signs of easing in April when the US and Iran participated in talks mediated by Oman, the prospects for finding common ground on the enrichment issue remain unclear.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi highlighted that there appears to be a shift in the US stance but reiterated that there is “no scenario” in which Iran would agree to relinquish its enrichment capabilities.
In a social media post, Araghchi stated, “Iran can only control what we Iranians do, and that is to avoid negotiating in public — particularly given the current dissonance we are seeing between what our US interlocutors say in public and in private, and from one week to the other.”
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