Iran says nuclear technology, enrichment not on agenda of talks with US

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami told lawmakers the issues of nuclear technology and uranium enrichment are not on the agenda of any possible negotiations with the United States, as Tehran insists the talks must focus only on ending the war in the region.

Eslami briefed members of Parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Committee on Monday.

“According to the head of the Atomic Energy Organization [of Iran], the issue of nuclear technology is not on the agenda of the negotiations [with the US] and enrichment is not negotiable,” Ebrahim Rezaei, the committee spokesperson, said after the meeting.

“Necessary preparations have been foreseen and made to protect nuclear sites and assets,” he quoted Eslami as saying.

The Iranian nuclear chief said the country’s nuclear industry will powerfully continue to work and nuclear achievements will be protected, Rezaei added.

The AEOI chief warned of the enemy’s plot to destroy the Islamic establishment and the country’s nuclear industry, insisting that “activities of Iran’s nuclear industry are peaceful and will remain peaceful,” the lawmaker said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rezaei pointed to remarks by Chairman of Parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Committee Ebrahim Azizi, who told the session the Iranian nation and the next generations need the nuclear industry.

Azizi emphasized that the practical nuclear industry is effective in various fields, affirming the Parliament’s resolve to protect and safeguard it, the spokesman added.

“The chairman of Parliament's Foreign Policy and National Security Committee said the country’s nuclear rights should not be compromised and emphasized the need to protect nuclear centers and achievements,” Rezaei said.

The meeting was held a day after Iran submitted its response to the American side's proposed text.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters on Monday that Iran's proposal for ending the recent war was reasonable, as the United States continues to insist on “unreasonable demands” shaped by the Israeli regime.

‘Restraint is over’: Iran vows decisive response to any attack on vessels

A senior Iranian parliamentary spokesman warns the United States and its regional allies not to sink themselves “deeper into the quagmire they have fallen into” in the Persian Gulf.

"We did not demand any concessions. The only thing we have demanded is Iran's legitimate rights. Everything we proposed in the plan was reasonable and generous, and it is for the good of the region and the world," Baghaei said.

"Is our proposal for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz unreasonable? Is establishing peace and security across the entire region irresponsible?" Baghaei said.

US President Donald Trump reacted angrily to Tehran's formal response to the American side, calling it "completely unacceptable."

Trump also told Axios in an interview that he has discussed Iran's response with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The criminal US-Israeli aggression against Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders, including Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

On April 8, forty days into the war, a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire between Iran and the US took effect.

Negotiations in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, stopped short of an agreement amid Washington’s maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.

Since then, Iran has categorically refused to rejoin the process unless the US lifts an illegal blockade it has imposed on Iranian vessels and ports.

Tehran has also asserted that, as long as the blockade is still in place, it has no intention of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which it closed in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes.

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