Iran’s foreign minister has said that Tehran will not abandon its nuclear programme despite severe damage from recent US airstrikes, calling uranium enrichment an issue of national pride.
"For now, enrichment is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Fox News.
"But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists."
He added that any future nuclear deal must include Iran’s right to enrichment.
Araghchi’s comments came weeks after US air strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran on 22 June, including the underground Fordow site, in response to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
While acknowledging that the facilities were "severely destroyed," Araghchi insisted that Iran’s nuclear expertise remains intact.
"The technology is there. Our nuclear programme, our enrichment programme, is not something imported from outside that can be destroyed by bombings," he said.
More strikes ‘If needed’
US President Donald Trump responded to Araghchi’s remarks on his Truth Social platform, writing: "Just like I said, and we will do it again, if necessary!"
In a follow-up post, Trump criticised CNN for citing intelligence assessments that reportedly said the strikes may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by a few months, calling on the network to fire its journalist.
Araghchi also confirmed that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is still evaluating the extent of damage to nuclear material and facilities.
He did not clarify whether any enriched uranium was preserved.
Despite the setback, Araghchi said Iran remains open to negotiations but not direct talks with the US at this time.
"We are ready to do any confidence-building measure needed to prove that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful," he said, in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions.
He also confirmed that Iran will continue to develop and manufacture missiles.
"We still have a good number of missiles to defend ourselves," he said, despite Israeli strikes on Iran’s missile infrastructure during the recent conflict.
New nuclear talks between Iran and the E3—Germany, France and the United Kingdom—are scheduled to take place on Friday in Istanbul.
Previous indirect talks between the US and Iran were held through Omani mediators until Israel launched an unprovoked attack on 13 June. The US joined the conflict days later with its own strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
