Iran Agrees to New Round of US Talks   05/22 06:27

   

   TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's top diplomat insisted Wednesday that Tehran will 
never stop enriching uranium, reinforcing the Islamic Republic's hard line 
ahead of a new round of indirect talks with the United States over its 
fast-advancing nuclear program.

   Iran's foreign ministry later confirmed it has agreed to take part in the 
next round of talks Friday in Rome.

   The comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi come after multiple 
rounds of talks between the two nations, including at an expert level over the 
details of a possible deal. American officials including President Donald 
Trump, Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintain 
that Iran must give up enrichment -- something it didn't do in its 2015 nuclear 
deal with world powers.

   "I have said it before, and I repeat it again: uranium enrichment in Iran 
will continue -- with or without an agreement," Araghchi said, according to 
state television.

   Araghchi added that Iran was "currently reviewing whether to participate in 
the next round and when to take part" in talks with the U.S. Negotiators 
previously met in Muscat, Oman, and Rome but Trump's trip to the Mideast last 
week delayed any new meeting.

   Later Wednesday, Oman's foreign minister announced that the fifth round of 
indirect talks will be Friday in Rome. The minister made the comment on social 
media. Oman has long served as a mediator, facilitating quiet diplomacy amid 
tensions over Iran's nuclear program and regional security.

   Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, in a post on X later 
confirmed that Tehran has agreed to take part in the new round of talks. 
Washington has not confirmed the meeting or announced whether it will attend.

   "We have never abandoned diplomacy. We will always be present at the 
negotiating table, and the main reason for our presence is to defend the rights 
of the Iranian people," Araghchi said. "We stand against excessive demands and 
rhetoric at the table."

   Araghchi's remarks came a day after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali 
Khamenei, said he didn't expect the negotiations to produce a deal.

   "I don't think nuclear talks with the U.S. will bring results. I don't 
know," Khamenei said.

   The talks seek to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting 
of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic 
Republic, closing in on half a century of enmity.

   Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran's 
program if a deal isn't reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they 
could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near 
weapons-grade levels. Meanwhile, Israel has threatened to strike Iran's nuclear 
facilities on its own if it feels threatened, further worsening tensions in the 
Mideast already spiked by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

   Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers capped Tehran's enrichment level 
at 3.67% and reduced its uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms (661 pounds). That 
level is enough for nuclear power plants, but far below weapons-grade levels of 
90%.

   Since the nuclear deal collapsed in 2018 with Trump's unilateral withdrawal 
of the U.S. from the accord, Iran has abandoned all limits on its program and 
enriched uranium to up to 60% purity -- a short, technical step from 
weapons-grade levels. There have also been a series of attacks at sea and on 
land in recent years, stemming from the tensions even before the Israel-Hamas 
war began.