Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has released a defiant statement saying his country was “not scared” of US military force.
Speaking at a forum in Tehran, Araghchi said Iran would never surrender its “right” to enrich uranium, even if war “is imposed on us”.
“Iran has paid a very heavy price for its peaceful nuclear programme and for uranium enrichment. No one has the right to dictate our behaviour,” he said, two days after he met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman.
“Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he added.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force against the regime after its brutal crackdown on nationwide protests that left thousands dead.
Before the war with Israel and the US last year, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.
The UN nuclear watchdog — International Atomic Energy Agency — has said Iran is the only country in the world to enrich to that level that is not armed with the bomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump in Washington DC on Wednesday to discuss current talks with Iran.
“The prime minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting [Iran’s] ballistic missiles and halting support for the Iranian axis,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said.
Netanyahu had been expected to meet Trump on February 18, but has moved the date forward.
The statement was made in the wake of an Axios report that the White House was planning to hold the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, DC, on February 19.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the administration is planning it and has started checking which leaders are able to attend,” said one source.
“It will be the first Board of Peace meeting and a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction,” a US official was quoted as saying.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu met Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, emphasising that Israel will not compromise on its war aims in the Gaza Strip, and cautioning against trusting Iranian promises.
Netanyahu reiterated to Witkoff that Hamas must be disarmed and Gaza demilitarised before any reconstruction efforts begin, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
He also said that the Palestinian Authority could not play any role in administering the Gaza Strip, the statement added.
The Israeli government has remained adamant that the reconstruction phase of the Strip will begin only after Hamas lays down arms. Although a technocratic Palestinian government — the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) — to run civil matters in Gaza has been established, it has been operating thus far from Egypt.
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Sinai had reopened on February 1, with only a limited number of individuals entering or exiting.
Speaking about the latest round of talks with Tehran, Trump on Friday said that the parties held “very good talks” in Oman earlier in the day regarding the Iranian nuclear project.
“You have to get in position. We have plenty of time, if you remember Venezuela. We waited around for a while, and we’re in no rush,” the president told reporters when asked about a timeline for negotiations.
The prime minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting Iran’s ballistic-missile stock, his office said.
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