Iran has denied reports suggesting it is willing to temporarily halt uranium enrichment to secure a nuclear agreement.
During a press conference on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated, “Iran will never accept that,” directly rejecting the notion of a temporary freeze in enrichment activity.
The denial comes after earlier media reports suggested a provisional deal was being discussed as a potential step toward a broader agreement. These reports claimed that Iran was open to freezing its enrichment efforts temporarily as part of the terms.
Baghaei also noted that Tehran is currently awaiting further communication from Oman, which is mediating indirect talks between Iran and the United States, regarding the timing of the next round of negotiations.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said there had been “very good” discussions with the Iranians over the weekend, referring to the 5th round of talks that took place in Rome on Friday.
Negotiations, which began in early April, have persisted despite a deadlock over how far Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium under any prospective deal. The Trump administration has adopted a hardline position, insisting that Iran must fully dismantle its uranium enrichment program. Steve Witkoff, the administration’s envoy leading the talks, reiterated last week that any retention of enrichment capabilities by Iran is a “red line.”
Tehran, however, remains adamant that it will continue enriching uranium, while expressing willingness to negotiate the specific levels of enrichment permitted for civilian energy purposes.
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that the country would continue its uranium enrichment activities “with or without” an agreement, and voiced skepticism that the ongoing negotiations would lead to meaningful results.
Despite these challenges, President Trump appears committed to keeping the talks going. On Monday, reports surfaced of a tense phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that took place the previous Thursday. According to the reports, Trump emphasized to Netanyahu his desire to prioritize diplomacy in the region.