Araghchi signals openness to deal aligned with Iran’s nuclear doctrine

The European Union warned Wednesday that Iran’s expanding nuclear program and opacity threaten regional security, urging Tehran to return to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and restore cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The statement was delivered during the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna.

The EU said it is “deeply concerned by the continued alarming expansion of Iran’s nuclear program,” and pointed to Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium as particularly troubling.

According to the statement, “Iran has accumulated more than 9 Significant Quantities of material enriched at 60%, which the Agency defines as the approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded.”

The EU added that “Iran is currently producing over one Significant Quantity of highly enriched uranium every month.”

It further warned that Iran’s removal of surveillance equipment has left inspectors unable to verify key elements of the program.

“The Agency has lost continuity of knowledge… which it will not be possible to restore.”

The EU called on Iran to reverse its alarming nuclear trajectory, and urged it to engage effectively with the IAEA without any further delay.

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Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, called the draft resolution submitted by the US and three European states political and warned Tehran would show a “very severe reaction” if it passes.

Najafi told AFP the IAEA’s latest report lacked a solid basis and focused on outdated issues. He rejected insufficient cooperation as unacceptable, accusing the agency of being influenced by Israel.

The IAEA Board of Governors’ actions and Iran’s negotiations with the United States are distinct issues, though each affects the other, Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami said Wednesday.

He noted that Iran is also engaged in parallel discussions with European states and countries.

“If the snapback mechanism is activated, we will make the necessary decisions at the appropriate time,” he warned.

Eslami said Iran’s central goal remains the removal of sanctions and relief from their economic impact.

“Every step we take in negotiations is aimed at easing the burden on the Iranian people,” he added.

Talks with the US continue indirectly, Eslami confirmed, and progress hinges on "genuine American goodwill."

“Whenever the other side, especially the US, shows real sincerity, honesty in its words, and seriousness in lifting sanctions, Iran will take appropriate and timely reciprocal steps,” he said.

Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami on Wednesday condemned the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran’s nuclear activities, calling it “highly political” and lacking technical credibility.

Eslami after a weekly cabinet meeting accused the IAEA of succumbing to “Zionist-influenced pressure” from the United States and three European countries, who he said are now pushing for a resolution against Iran without sound legal or technical grounds.

“The IAEA must prepare its reports professionally and in line with its statute, not under political pressure,” Eslami said, insisting that Iran has cooperated in good faith and voluntarily gone beyond its obligations.

He added that recent inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities reached unprecedented levels in 2023 and 2024.

Eslami rejected non-compliance as “a blatant lie,” saying no IAEA inspection has found Iran obstructing its legal duties. He added that any confrontational action “will be met with a reciprocal response.”

“The path of issuing false and biased reports does not help resolve issues—it only damages the credibility of the IAEA itself,” Eslami said.

He added that Iran would not tolerate "illegal behavior or politically motivated measures disguised as safeguard concerns."

If conflict is imposed on the country, the response would inflict “heavy casualties” and force US forces to leave the region, Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh said Wednesday.

“If negotiations fail and confrontation is imposed on us, we will strike our targets,” Nasirzadeh said on the sidelines of a weekly cabinet meeting.

“We will target all American bases in host countries without hesitation.”

"Iran would not remain passive and would retaliate decisively against any aggression."

Nasirzadeh also said that Iran had a successful test of a missile with a two-ton warhead last week.

“Our operational forces are fully equipped and ready.”

He also dismissed any talk of military constraints, saying, “We neither accept military limitations nor authorize anyone to negotiate over them.”