Istanbul [Turkey], July 25 : Iran has reaffirmed its right to continue uranium enrichment ahead of a key meeting in Istanbul with Britain, France, and Germany, where Tehran is expected to face warnings over potential nuclear sanctions.
The talks, scheduled for Friday, will also include the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and mark the first high-level meeting since Israel's mid-June strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites triggered a 12-day war, which ended in a ceasefire on June 24.
"Especially after the recent war, it is important for them [European countries] to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran's position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday, as quoted by the Tasnim news agency and reported by Al Jazeera.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran remains open to further dialogue with the United States but stressed that any renewed engagement depends on Washington taking meaningful steps to rebuild trust. "Rebuilding Iran's trust - as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States," is one of "several key principles" for re-engagement, he said. "No room for hidden agendas such as military action, though Iran remains fully prepared for any scenario," Gharibabadi added, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The 2015 nuclear agreement--signed by Iran, the E3 nations, China, Russia, and the US--placed limits on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for phased sanctions relief. However, the US withdrew from the deal in 2018 under President Donald Trump and reimposed sanctions.
While Britain, France, and Germany continued supporting the deal, they now accuse Tehran of violating its commitments and are considering reimposing sanctions under a clause expiring in October--an outcome Iran is keen to avoid.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran is enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, far above the 3.67 percent cap under the 2015 accord. Weapons-grade uranium requires 90 percent enrichment.
Western powers have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran denies, maintaining its nuclear programme is solely for civilian energy use, as reported by Al Jazeera.