during US President Donald Trump once again alluded to military action during negotiations in Geneva, Iran’s head of atomic energy, Mohammad Eslami, stated that no nation can deny the Islamic republic its right to nuclear enrichment.
“Enrichment is the foundation of the nuclear industry. In a video released by Etemad daily on Thursday, Eslami stated, “You need nuclear fuel for anything you want to do in the nuclear process.”
“Iran’s nuclear program is moving forward in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s regulations, and no nation can deny Iran the opportunity to peacefully utilize this technology.”
The remarks come after Tehran and Washington held their second round of negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday, mediated by Oman.
The first round of talks between the two adversaries since earlier negotiations broke down during the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June took place on February 6 in Oman.
For a brief time, the US joined Israel in the conflict and attacked nuclear installations in Iran.
Trump once more alluded to the possibility of an American strike on Iran in a post on his Truth Social website on Wednesday.
He cautioned Britain against ceding control of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, stating that if Iran did not reach an agreement, the Diego Garcia airport in the archipelago may be required “to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime.”
In addition to calling for zero enrichment on numerous occasions, Washington has attempted to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its backing for regional militant organizations, topics that Israel has pressed to be covered in the negotiations.
The Islamic republic is accused by Western nations of attempting to get nuclear weapons.
Tehran maintains that it has the right to use this technology for civilian purposes even though it denies having such military aspirations.
Trump, who has increased pressure on Iran to come to an agreement, has sent a sizable naval force—dubbed a “armada”—to the area.
He recently announced that a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, would leave “very soon” for the Middle East, following the January deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying battleships to the Gulf.
This week, Iranian navy forces practiced military maneuvers in the Gulf and the vicinity of the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Separately, on Thursday, the Russian and Iranian navy were practicing together in the northern Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman.
