Nuclear Chief: Iran Can Enrich Uranium ‘At Any Rate’

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Mohammad Eslami (Reuters)
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Mohammad Eslami (Reuters)
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Nuclear Chief: Iran Can Enrich Uranium ‘At Any Rate’

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Mohammad Eslami (Reuters)
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Mohammad Eslami (Reuters)

Iran can enrich uranium whenever it wants, and at any rate, announced head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami.

In an interview with Iranian television, Eslami stated that the US wanted to stop Iran's nuclear technology but failed.

Asked about the failed negotiations to revive the nuclear deal, Eslami said that it was proved that the US reasons for not agreeing were mere excuses and that Washington's primary goal was to prevent Iran's progress.

Asked about reaching 60 percent of enriched uranium, the official said this step had a noticeable impact, and it was only normal to affect the negotiations.

He added that the US officials have an impression that Iran is a nuclear state and they cannot get rid of that quickly. More importantly, they realized these local abilities could not be eliminated.

Eslami pointed out that Iran recently carried out an unprecedented amount of enrichment, proving to all, whether friends or enemies, that the Iranian ability is real and undeniable.

Negotiations to revive the nuclear agreement between Iran and the major powers stalled in Vienna more than a year ago. Last September, the EU's attempt to renew the talks failed.

Tehran enriched uranium to 20 percent at the Natanz plant days after US President Joe Biden assumed his position in January 2021 and raised the enrichment rate to 60 percent at the facility in April.

In January 2022, Tehran began enriching uranium by 20 percent at the Fordow facility, and in June, it raised the enrichment to a purity of 60 percent.

In February, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said Iran's estimated stockpile of enriched uranium had reached more than 18 times the limit set out in the 2015 accord between Tehran and world powers.



US-Iran Talks Postponed, New Date Depends on US Approach, Iranian Official Says

An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US mural near the former US embassy in a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 May 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US mural near the former US embassy in a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 May 2025. (EPA)
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US-Iran Talks Postponed, New Date Depends on US Approach, Iranian Official Says

An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US mural near the former US embassy in a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 May 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US mural near the former US embassy in a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 May 2025. (EPA)

A fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran, which had been due to take place in Rome on Saturday, has been postponed and a new date will be set "depending on the US approach", a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.

"US sanctions on Iran during the nuclear talks are not helping the sides to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomacy," the official told Reuters.

"Depending on the US approach, the date of the next round of talks will be announced."

Oman, which mediated earlier sessions of the US-Iran talks, said on Thursday the next round of nuclear discussions provisionally planned for May 3 would be rescheduled for "logistical reasons".

However, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the United States had never confirmed its participation in the fourth round of talks in Rome.

The source said the timing and venue of the next round of talks have yet to be confirmed but are expected in the near future.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran accused the US of "contradictory behavior and provocative statements" after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for backing Yemen's Houthis and imposed new oil-related sanctions on it in the midst of nuclear talks.

Separately, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would continue to engage "seriously and resolutely" in result-oriented negotiations with the US, state media reported.

US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to attack Iran if diplomacy fails, has signaled confidence in clinching a new pact with the Islamic Republic that would block Tehran's path to a nuclear bomb.

Trump, who has restored a "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran since February, ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran.

Iran has far exceeded the 2015 agreement's curbs on its uranium enrichment since the US exited the pact and European countries share Washington's concern that Tehran could seek an atomic bomb. Iran says its program is peaceful.

Iran and three European powers - Britain, France and Germany - were scheduled to meet in Rome on Friday to improve strained ties over Tehran's disputed nuclear program during this time of high-stakes talks between Tehran and Washington, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday.

However, the senior Iranian official who spoke to Reuters said on Thursday that it was now "not certain" whether Friday's meeting would go ahead.

On Wednesday, Washington imposed sanctions on entities it accused of involvement in the illicit trade of Iranian oil and petrochemicals.

Separately, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran that it would face consequences for supporting the Houthis, who control have attacked ships in the Red Sea in what the group says is solidarity with the Palestinians.

Washington has been bombing the Houthis intensively since mid-March, hitting more than 1,000 targets. Tehran says the Houthis act independently.