Nuclear enrichment is essential for Iran, Basij official says

A senior Iranian official said on Wednesday that preserving the country’s nuclear capabilities remains a national priority, emphasizing that Iran seeks peaceful use of atomic energy and is not pursuing nuclear weapons.

Brigadier General Ghasem Ghoreishi, deputy head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, said nuclear energy is essential for Iran’s future and development in sectors such as medicine, agriculture, and electricity production.

“Nuclear energy is among the Islamic Republic’s main priorities,” Ghoreishi said, adding that maintaining uranium enrichment and nuclear capacity is “even more crucial for Iran’s tomorrow.”

Arguing in support of the need for uranium enrichment in the country, a sticking point in the current talks, Ghoreishi also criticized Western sanctions, recalling past embargoes on basic goods during the Iran-Iraq war. “Those who didn’t give us barbed wire then, will not hand over enriched uranium now,” he said.

“Our goal is to protect the nation’s interests—either through diplomacy or resistance.”