Israeli envoy backs US-Iran talks, says enrichment must be off the table

An Iranian lawmaker said Friday that continued negotiations with the United States are pointless if Washington insists on ending Iran’s uranium enrichment program.

“If the official US position is to eliminate Iran’s enrichment cycle, then there’s no reason to sit at the table,” said Abolfazl Zohrevand, a member of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee.

He said previous rounds of indirect talks had revealed the US remains fixed in its stance and accused Washington of seeking not just nuclear concessions, but broader geopolitical weakening of Iran.

“This round will also lead nowhere unless Iran enters with clear conditions,” Zohrevand added, warning against repeating what he called “four failed rounds.”

He said Iran should preserve its diplomatic tools and be ready to act forcefully if necessary.

An Iranian lawmaker warned Friday against tying the country’s economic future to the outcome of nuclear talks with the United States, saying Tehran must prioritize solving internal issues.

Ali Akbar Alizadeh, a member of parliament from Damghan in northeastern Iran, said negotiations are only one aspect of the Foreign Ministry’s responsibilities and should not dominate the country’s overall strategy.

“If talks fail to yield results, we will not have lost anything,” Alizadeh said in an interview with Mehr News Agency. “The government must not let the economy depend on the outcome of indirect negotiations with the US.”

“Efforts to link the talks to people’s livelihoods are misguided,” Alizadeh said, adding that enemies aim to keep Iran stalled by hinging progress on the negotiations.

Iran on Friday accused the United States of undermining diplomacy by expanding sanctions on its construction sector just ahead of a new round of indirect talks between the two countries.

“These sanctions, announced on the eve of the fifth round of Iran-US indirect talks, further put to question the American willingness and seriousness for diplomacy,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.

Washington on Wednesday said it would target additional construction materials linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing proliferation risks.

Baghaei condemned the move as “unlawful and inhuman,” saying it was part of a broader strategy to deprive Iranians of their basic rights and hinder national development.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed for Rome on Friday to lead a delegation in the fifth round of indirect talks with the United States, Iranian state media reported.

The talks come amid growing skepticism in Tehran over the prospects for progress, with officials warning that continued negotiations must be based on clear conditions.

Washington is seeking the same outcome as Israel in ongoing nuclear talks with Tehran, Iran's state-run Press TV reported on Thursday citing an unnamed political source, and is using political pressure instead of military threats.

“What the Americans want is the same Israeli plan,” the source was quoted as saying. “Only instead of a military attack, (the Americans) politically want Iran to give up its nuclear independence of its own accord.”