Iran determined to keep uranium amid increased war odds, flurry of meetings

Tehran, Iran – There has been a flurry of diplomatic enactment successful the Middle East successful caller days, with hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough to extremity the United States and Israel warfare connected Iran.

Pakistan’s service main Asim Munir was successful Tehran connected Wednesday to sermon the warfare and caller tensions successful Yemen. It comes against the backdrop of fears of a caller breakout successful struggle successful the region.

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Despite this, Tehran has held steadfast to its presumption that the warfare volition not end, and the Strait of Hormuz volition not reopen, until the US accepts its conditions.

Iran maintains an unyielding stance connected its contentious atomic programme, which was a origin successful the Trump administration’s determination to motorboat the warfare connected February 28.

“Not a azygous gram of enriched uranium volition beryllium removed from Iran,” Mohsen Rezaei, caput of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said precocious Tuesday aft gathering Munir.

But helium did not regularisation retired downblending the highly enriched uranium wrong the state nether supervision from monitors, thing Iran has offered before.

Iran’s authorities contiguous the decades-old atomic programme arsenic a sovereign close and an accomplishment gained contempt strikes, sabotage and assassinations. Rezaei described it arsenic “national wealth” connected Tuesday.

Iran has besides utilized low-enriched uranium for civilian purposes similar manufacturing radiopharmaceuticals and for powerfulness procreation astatine the Bushehr works successful practice with Russia.

The authorities reason that surrendering the atomic programme nether subject unit would magnitude to capitulation, if it did not warrant that Iran would not beryllium near exposed to much attacks.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasised since the commencement of the warfare that helium wanted to dismantle the Iranian atomic programme. US Vice President JD Vance, however, suggested earlier this period that a “meaningful” simplification successful the level of enrichment capableness whitethorn fulfill US demands.

Nuclear issue

Before Israeli and US attacks connected Iran’s atomic facilities successful June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that Tehran possessed 440 kilogrammes (970 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60 percent. A atomic weaponry would request enrichment of much than 90 percent.

The attacks, followed by further US-Israeli strikes connected atomic sites successful 2026, severely damaged Iran’s atomic infrastructure. With the IAEA incapable to inspect cardinal facilities, the existent size, information and whereabouts of overmuch of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile stay unverified.

Tehran has refused entree to the IAEA to inspect its atomic facilities since the warfare started, accusing the bureau of advancing Western interests done adopting resolutions and referring the atomic record to the United Nations Security Council.

Iranian authorities support they are not pursuing a bomb. But elder Iranian officials, similar Rezaei, person publically questioned the validity of being a enactment to the planetary atomic Non-Proliferation Treaty if Iran’s atomic facilities and different infrastructure proceed to beryllium attacked.

Still, Iranian officials person hosted galore overseas diplomats this week. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was successful Tehran connected Monday aft attending a gathering with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries a time earlier. There were besides indications of visits to Tehran by different Arab officials.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is besides reported to person met Israeli information officials earlier this week. These meetings did not look to person decreased the prospects of renewed war.

But speaking astatine a league for Iranian exporters successful Tehran connected Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned that the state faces threats of much attacks and expansive economical sanctions.

“The world is that the state is genuinely successful warfare conditions and the warfare continues. We person not reached bid conditions and are distant from it, truthful each decisions indispensable beryllium made wrong warfare conditions,” helium said.

Parliament talker and main negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Munir that Iran had “nothing new” to archer Washington and expected realisation of conditions offered successful New York past period to reopen the Strait of Hormuz wrong 7 days.

Mediators did not publically divulge details of their proposals to Tehran this week, but were told the US needed to physique spot by accepting Iran’s conditions. These see returning to the June memorandum of knowing and recognising an Iran-Oman woody implicit impermanent transit successful the Strait of Hormuz.

US Navy sailors thin to a combatant pitchy connected the formation platform of the USS George Washington successful the Arabian Sea, September 11, 2026 [Ed Ou/Reuters]

In summation to a pledge for contiguous talks connected a bigger woody regarding Iran’s atomic issue, the memorandum included removing the US naval blockade connected confederate Iranian ports, waivers for lipid sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets and halting subject enactment successful Lebanon and different determination hotspots.

Ellie Geranmayeh, a elder argumentation chap and lawman caput of the Middle East and North Africa programme astatine the European Council connected Foreign Relations, said it was wide that Tehran would beryllium unwilling to springiness up its enriched uranium without guarantees of sanctions relief.

“The Iranians person made it precise clear, and I spot nary grounds that’s changing, that they are consenting to negociate implicit the destiny of the highly enriched uranium oregon entree for planetary monitors, but that has to beryllium straight linked with a precise wide implementation protocol for US sanctions relief,” she told Al Jazeera. “We are precise acold from those types of negotiations astatine this stage.”

US media cited unnamed officials arsenic saying connected Tuesday that the Pentagon was sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt bearer onslaught radical and a Marine portion to the Middle East. That would contiguous President Trump with a scope of onslaught options aft the US midterm elections connected November 3.

Over caller weeks, Trump and his officials person further discussed a scope of subject operations, including hitting Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain to diminish atomic facilities inside, and dropping the “mother of each bombs” connected atomic and vigor facilities. They person besides antecedently raised the thought of seizing Iran’s confederate islands connected the Strait of Hormuz and assassinating much Iranian officials.

Iran’s state-run Press TV cited an unnamed information authoritative arsenic saying connected Wednesday that decision-makers successful Tehran person chosen to beforehand “without immoderate limitations oregon restraint” if determination are much US and Israeli attacks oregon assassinations.

Geranmayeh pointed retired that Tehran had besides helped its ally, the Houthis successful Yemen, with their advances on the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and adjacent considered imaginable preemptive strikes to rattle the US up of the election.

“One happening we should beryllium watching retired for is Israel and the US combining forces connected subject attacks aft the Israeli elections and the US midterms,” she said, aft Trump backed Netanyahu’s predetermination bid.