By Gloria Ogbonna
Iran has cautiously described its latest round of talks with the United States as a “step forward,” even as top Iranian officials made clear that Tehran has no intention of abandoning its uranium enrichment program or negotiating over its missile capabilities and regional influence.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a measured but optimistic tone on Sunday, commenting publicly on the recent diplomatic engagement between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The two met in Oman on Friday following days of uncertainty, last-minute demands from Tehran, and speculation that the meeting might collapse before it began. While the talks yielded no concrete agreements, both sides reportedly agreed to continue discussions at a later date.
Posting on the social media platform X, Pezeshkian framed the meeting as a positive, if limited, development.
“Dialogue has always been our strategy for peaceful resolution,” Pezeshkian wrote. “Our logic on the nuclear issue is the explicit rights in the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
He added that Iran “has always responded to respect with respect” but warned that the country “will not tolerate the language of force,” a statement that critics say sharply contrasts with Tehran’s recent violent crackdown on domestic dissent.
While the president emphasized diplomacy, Foreign Minister Araghchi adopted a far more defiant stance later the same day during remarks at a forum in Tehran. Araghchi flatly rejected any proposal that would require Iran to halt uranium enrichment altogether.
“Zero enrichment can never be accepted by us,” Araghchi said. “We need to focus on discussions that accept enrichment inside Iran while building trust that enrichment is and will stay for peaceful purposes.”
He framed Iran’s nuclear activities not merely as a technical or economic issue, but as a matter of national pride and sovereignty.
“Iran’s insistence on enrichment is rooted in a desire for independence and dignity,” he said. “No one has the right to tell the Iranian nation what it should or should not have.”
Araghchi also expressed skepticism about Washington’s intentions, citing ongoing U.S. sanctions and recent military deployments in the region as signs that the United States may not be negotiating in good faith.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, assessing all the signals, and will decide whether to continue the negotiations,” he warned.
In a separate interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Araghchi drew firm red lines around other contentious issues, stating that Iran’s missile program is “never negotiable.”
He also ruled out discussions about Iran’s support for armed proxy groups across the Middle East or the regime’s treatment of protesters at home—topics frequently raised by U.S. and Israeli officials.
From the American side, Vice President JD Vance pushed back on Iran’s posture during a trip to Armenia on Monday, saying President Donald Trump would ultimately define the limits of any agreement.
“If there are red lines in the talks with Iran, Trump will be the one to set them,” Vance said. “He wants a meaningful deal. Reaching an agreement with Iran would benefit everyone.”
President Trump himself offered a more upbeat assessment of the Oman talks on Friday, saying they were “very good,” though his definition of success appeared markedly different from Tehran’s.
“Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” Trump said. “We’ll have to see what that deal is. But I think they probably feel differently than they did last time.”
According to a report from The Jerusalem Post, the Trump administration has since made clear to Araghchi that future meetings will require “meaningful substance,” signaling growing impatience with talks that fail to produce tangible concessions.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday, briefed his security cabinet on Sunday with a far tougher set of demands.
Netanyahu said Iran must be willing to discuss preventing nuclear weapons development, limiting ballistic missile capabilities, and ending support for terrorist groups across the region—conditions Araghchi has explicitly rejected.
In prepared remarks, Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond forcefully to any threat from Tehran.
“Should the Iranian regime, which has for decades oppressed its own people who aspire to freedom and justice, attempt to harm our sovereignty or our citizens, the consequences will be extremely severe,” the statement said. “Any such attempt will be met with decisive action.”
As talks inch forward, the sharp divide between Iran’s demands and those of the United States and its allies suggests that any breakthrough will be difficult, with diplomacy proceeding cautiously amid deep mistrust and rising regional tensions.
Source Breitbart