US undecided on whether to permit Iranian enrichment, Trump says

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday dismissed reports suggesting that President Masoud Pezeshkian may meet with Donald Trump in Riyadh or that Tehran has proposed direct negotiations with Washington, calling them “baseless fabrications.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that any updates on the status of what he called indirect talks with the United States would be shared in a “transparent, professional and timely” manner by the ministry.

The denial comes after a report by the Israeli news outlet Ynet, which said that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had contacted Steve Witkoff, the US representative in the negotiations, and proposed direct talks over nuclear issues.

Meanwhile, Kioumars Yazdanpanah, a political analyst frequently featured on Iranian state TV, raised the possibility that negotiating teams from Iran and the United States may have reached a “preliminary tacit agreement.” He also suggested there was a chance that Trump and Pezeshkian could meet in Riyadh.

"They can have civil nuclear power. OK, we don't mind that, but... no one right now has a civil nuclear program with their entire enrichment infrastructure that can enrich to the 90-plus percent needed to get to fissile material and a nuclear weapon," Vance said at the Munich Security Conference in Washington DC.

Vance said the Trump administration has no problem with Iran having nuclear power.

"We're fine with that. But you can't have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that's where we draw the line," he said.

The United States and Iran appear to be on a collision course over whether Tehran should be allowed to enrich uranium in any nuclear deal between the two arch-foes, potentially endangering talks headed for a fourth round this weekend.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "there’s a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one, but if they insist on enriching, then they will be the only country in the world that doesn’t have a 'weapons program,' quote-unquote, but is enriching. And so I think that’s problematic."

The UN nuclear watchdog said last month that Iran is only non-nuclear armed state enriching uranium to 60%. Several countries which do not possess nuclear weapons, including Japan, Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands, enrich uranium at lower levels.

In his Wednesday remarks, Vance said his country is seeking a deal with Iran that would not only completely eliminate the possibility of it acquiring a nuclear weapon but also pave the way for Tehran’s return to the global economy.

"We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy. That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they could get a nuclear weapon,"

"That's what we're negotiating towards."

Vance said the Trump administration has been "very happy by how the Iranians have responded to some of the points that we have made" in the Omani-mediated talks.

"Without prejudging the negotiations, I will say so far so good... We've been very happy that some of the intermediaries and some of the folks who are in the room, the role that they've played, the Omanis in particular, have played a very positive role, and we're very grateful to that."

He said "so far we're on the right pathway. But this is going to end somewhere. And it will end either in Iran eliminating their nuclear program, their nuclear weapons program."

US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Wednesday that Iran must not be allowed to enrich uranium to levels that would enable it to develop nuclear weapons—remarks that may be seen as an apparent nod to Iran’s insistence on maintaining low-level enrichment.

"They can have civil nuclear power. OK, we don't mind that, but... no one right now has a civil nuclear program with their entire enrichment infrastructure that can enrich to the 90-plus percent needed to get to fissile material and a nuclear weapon," Vance said at the Munich Security Conference in Washington DC.

Vance said the Trump administration has no problem with Iran having nuclear power.

"We're fine with that. But you can't have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that's where we draw the line," he said.

The United States and Iran appear to be on a collision course over whether Tehran should be allowed to enrich uranium in any nuclear deal between the two arch-foes, potentially endangering talks headed for a fourth round this weekend.

Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "there’s a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one, but if they insist on enriching, then they will be the only country in the world that doesn’t have a 'weapons program,' quote-unquote, but is enriching. And so I think that’s problematic."

The UN nuclear watchdog said last month that Iran is only non-nuclear armed state enriching uranium to 60%. Several countries which do not possess nuclear weapons, including Japan, Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands, enrich uranium at lower levels.

In his Wednesday remarks, Vance said his country is seeking a deal with Iran that would not only completely eliminate the possibility of it acquiring a nuclear weapon but also pave the way for Tehran’s return to the global economy.

"We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy. That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they could get a nuclear weapon,"

"That's what we're negotiating towards."

Vance said the Trump administration has been "very happy by how the Iranians have responded to some of the points that we have made" in the Omani-mediated talks.

"Without prejudging the negotiations, I will say so far so good... We've been very happy that some of the intermediaries and some of the folks who are in the room, the role that they've played, the Omanis in particular, have played a very positive role, and we're very grateful to that."

He said "so far we're on the right pathway. But this is going to end somewhere. And it will end either in Iran eliminating their nuclear program, their nuclear weapons program."

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has approached the US president's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff requesting direct nuclear negotiations with Washington, Ynet reported Wednesday.

Araghchi contacted Steve Witkoff, expressing Tehran’s desire to bypass third-party mediation, wrote the outlet. The proposal followed what the report described as frustration with Omani efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides.

“If direct talks cannot be arranged, Iran is considering Norwegian mediation,” Ynet reported, citing unnamed sources briefed on the approach.

The outreach, if confirmed, would mark a notable shift from Iran’s public posture, which has long favored indirect talks brokered by regional or European intermediaries. Tehran and Washington have yet to respond publicly to the reported contact.

In a written message to an international conference commemorating the centenary of the seminary’s revival, Ali Khamenei said the institution must not only maintain its core religious mission but also evolve to meet new social and intellectual demands.

“The most important mission of the seminary is ‘Balagh Mubin’ (clear and eloquent communication),” Khamenei said. “Among its most significant expressions is outlining the main and subsidiary lines of the new Islamic civilization, and explaining, promoting, and embedding it within society.”

Khamenei’s message reflects a broader push by Iran’s clerical leadership to position religious institutions not just as custodians of tradition but as active architects of what is termed modern Islamic civilization.

The Qom seminary, one of the most influential centers of Shiite scholarship, was revitalized in 1922 by Grand Ayatollah Abdol-Karim Haeri Yazdi and has since played a central role in Iran’s religious and political life — especially after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Khamenei emphasized the need for a seminary that is “innovative, dynamic, up-to-date, capable of addressing emerging issues, morally refined, driven by progress, rooted in revolutionary identity, and equipped to design governance systems.”