Iran has reaffirmed its refusal to abandon key demands, including the right to enrich uranium, as negotiations with the United States continue. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, said Donald Trump’s “rhetoric” would not force Tehran to compromise on its “red lines”.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump claimed Iran “very much” wants a peace deal but “haven’t gotten there”. He warned that if no agreement is reached, the US may “finish the job”, referring to potential military action against Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a post on X, Azizi listed Iran’s red lines as “the right to enrich uranium, possession of enriched uranium, authority over the Strait of Hormuz, and the removal of sanctions”. He added that Trump, “seeking a way out of this strategic deadlock, alternates between issuing threats and appealing for an agreement”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged “some progress” in talks but stressed that Washington has other options if diplomacy fails. “The bottom line is that Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said, echoing Trump’s view that preventing a nuclear-armed Iran is the “primary urgency”.
While the US believes Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is for a weapon, Tehran insists it is for peaceful purposes. The standoff follows reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has ordered that no uranium be sent abroad, further complicating any potential deal.
