Iran's FM says no deal possible if US seeks end of uranium enrichment

TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday there will be no nuclear agreement if the United States seeks to cease Iran's uranium enrichment.

He made the remarks in a live interview broadcast with the state-run IRIB TV ahead of the fifth round of indirect nuclear talks between Iranian and US delegations in Rome on Friday.

"Fundamental differences still exist between us. The US side does not believe in uranium enrichment in Iran. If this is their objective, there would be no agreement," Araghchi said while responding to US officials' recent demands that Tehran completely stop uranium enrichment on its soil.

"However, if they seek that Iran does not move toward nuclear weapons, this can be achieved. We do not seek nuclear weapons," he said.

Araghchi noted that the nuclear deal signed between Iran and several other countries in 2015 was no longer effective, "but it does not mean that the deal is dead," adding that the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, could be revived.

However, Araghchi emphasized that Iran would not give up its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment.

Iran and the United States have held four rounds of indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear program and the lifting of US sanctions since April.

Recently, US officials have repeatedly demanded that Iran completely cease its uranium enrichment activities, a request that Tehran has firmly rejected, insisting the issue is "non-negotiable."