Former Iranian MP says US using enrichment demand to derail Iran talks

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that Tehran is open to nuclear inspections but will not accept pressure or coercion from foreign powers.

In a meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in Tehran, Pezeshkian said Iran’s nuclear program is transparent and has never pursued weapons. “We are ready for inspections,” he said. “But we will not tolerate bullying or coercion. No one else has the right to decide our nation’s future.”

He reiterated that the country’s nuclear activities have been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and said restricting nations’ access to vital technologies amounts to denying them “God-given blessings.”

The response came after US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning most travelers from a dozen nations, citing terrorism and national security concerns.

Alireza Hashemi Raja, director general for Iranian Affairs Abroad at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said the move reflected “a supremacist and racist mindset” in Washington.

"This decision targets Iranian nationals solely based on their religion and nationality,” he said in a statement. “It constitutes racial discrimination and systemic racism within the American ruling establishment.”

He added that the ban showed "deep-seated hostility toward the Iranian people and Muslims" and amounted to a violation of international legal norms, including the prohibition of discrimination and basic human rights.

Hashemi Raja urged the United Nations and international rights groups to oppose the order, saying Iran would take “all necessary measures” to protect its citizens abroad.

US cites Iran's terror record, lack of cooperation

The proclamation said Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism and regularly fails to cooperate with US security agencies. It added that Tehran has historically refused to take back its deported nationals.

“Iran is the source of significant terrorism around the world,” the statement said.

Trump defended the order on Thursday, saying countries on the list “don’t have things under control.” Speaking to reporters at the White House, he added: “We want to keep bad people out of our country.”

Ban includes 12 nations, partial limits for 7 more

Effective June 9, the directive restricts travel from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Seven additional countries — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela — face partial restrictions.

The White House said the decision followed a security review that found “persistent failures” in identity verification, criminal recordkeeping, and counterterrorism cooperation.

Exceptions and past cases cited by US

The order exempts US permanent residents, valid visa holders, and individuals deemed to serve national interests. It also excludes persecuted ethnic or religious minorities from the ban.

Trump cited recent violent incidents involving foreign nationals — including a Molotov cocktail attack in Colorado — as evidence of the need for stronger screening. The suspect in that case was Egyptian, a country not affected by the ban.

An Iranian lawmaker on Saturday criticized the country’s foreign ministry for lacking clarity and firmness in its handling of nuclear negotiations, urging officials to assert Iran’s red lines more clearly and confidently.

Ali Asghar Nakhaeirad, a member of parliament from Mashhad, said the ministry has been “negotiating from the lowest end of national demands instead of asserting the full scope of Iran’s goals as the official position,” and called for a stronger diplomatic posture.

Speaking at a press conference in Khorasan Razavi province, Nakhaeirad said Iran’s 60% uranium enrichment capability must be treated as a non-negotiable red line. “The Iranian people have paid a heavy price to achieve this level of nuclear advancement. Not even one percent should be compromised,” he said.

He accused the foreign ministry of treating the enrichment program as a bargaining chip rather than a pillar of national strength. “We must negotiate from a position of power, not from fear or concession,” he warned, adding that retreating from principled positions only emboldens adversaries.

Nakhaeirad said he has formally submitted a question to the foreign minister in parliament and urged the government to deliver “a clear and decisive message” to Western powers ahead of further talks. “This is not a time for appeasement or hesitation. What we need is revolutionary, assertive diplomacy,” he said.

Former Iranian deputy parliament speaker Ali Motahari said on Saturday that Iran must firmly uphold its right to uranium enrichment and resist what he called Western efforts to limit its nuclear independence.

Motahari told ISNA that Western countries “do not want the Islamic Republic to possess a complete nuclear fuel cycle” and instead seek to make Iran dependent on foreign suppliers. “They want us to rely on them for at least one part of the nuclear process,” he said.

He argued that pressure from the United States against enrichment inside Iran is part of a broader strategy to restrict the country’s autonomy. “Without domestic enrichment, we would be forced to beg for reactor fuel — allowing them to impose conditions,” he said, echoing comments by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The explanatory note, released ahead of a key meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, criticized the agency’s latest report for relying on “unverified” and “politically influenced” sources, saying the findings reflect a “departure from the principles of impartiality and professionalism.”

“Enrichment to 60% is not banned by the NPT, and all related activities are declared and verifiable,” said the statement published on the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's website.

Iran further said that traces of uranium found at certain undeclared sites may be the result of sabotage or hostile actions, citing findings by its own security investigations.

The IAEA report, leaked to Western media late last month, concluded that Iran now possesses over 400 kg of 60%-enriched uranium—enough, if further enriched, to build approximately 10 nuclear weapons. The report also cited ongoing Iranian non-cooperation on safeguards and expressed “serious concern” over the country’s continued enrichment at levels with “no civilian justification.”

Iran pushes back against pressure

Iranian officials condemned the IAEA’s findings. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the report was based on “fabricated Israeli intelligence” and aimed at reopening matters previously closed under a 2015 resolution. He accused the agency of acting under political pressure from the United States and European powers.

In a phone call last week with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on the agency to “reflect realities” and warned that any politically driven action by the IAEA Board would be met with a firm response. “Iran will react strongly to any violation of its rights,” Araghchi said in a separate post on X. “The responsibility lies solely with those misusing the agency to gain political leverage.”

Tensions rising ahead of IAEA board vote

The IAEA board is expected to convene next week, with diplomats telling Reuters the United States and the so-called E3 — Britain, France, and Germany — plan to table a resolution formally declaring Iran in violation of its safeguards obligations. If adopted, it would mark the first such finding since 2005, a move that could pave the way for a referral to the UN Security Council and further sanctions.

Israel has accused Iran of being “fully committed” to obtaining nuclear weapons, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying “there is no civilian explanation” for Iran’s current enrichment levels.

Iran, for its part, continues to insist that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful and has dismissed the possibility of negotiating over the principle of enrichment.

No deal without enrichment, Tehran says

In comments echoed by other senior Iranian officials, Parliament National Security Committee chair Ebrahim Azizi said enrichment is a “red line.” “There can be no negotiation over the principle of enrichment,” he said. “It is a matter of national sovereignty.”

Iran also criticized Western suggestions of a fuel consortium or a temporary freeze on enrichment. “Without recognition of our right to enrichment, no agreement will be possible,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, another senior MP.

Snapback and retaliation threats

The mounting tension comes as Western capitals also weigh triggering the so-called snapback mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal, which would restore UN sanctions. Iranian hardline media warned that such a move would be seen as “blackmail” and would provoke a fundamental shift in Iran’s nuclear doctrine.

The conservative daily Khorasan said Iran “could produce 10 atomic bombs” and that its missile program should not be underestimated. It warned that activating the snapback would mean “Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA has yielded nothing.”