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Iran is prepared to consider steps on its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a nuclear deal with the United States, but the demand for zero enrichment is not on the table, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview published on Sunday.
Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that Tehran was ready to discuss curbs on its nuclear program, including measures related to its roughly 400 kg stockpile of highly enriched uranium, if Washington was willing to lift sanctions.
“If they are ready to talk about sanctions, we are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our nuclear program,” he said, adding that it was too early to say what specific steps might emerge from negotiations.
Iran’s atomic energy chief said on Monday that Tehran could dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for the removal of all financial sanctions, a point Takht-Ravanchi cited as an example of Iran’s flexibility.
However, he repeated that the idea of ending all uranium enrichment in Iran – a longstanding US position and a major sticking point in past talks – would not be accepted.
“The issue of zero enrichment is no longer raised and, as far as Iran is concerned, is not on the negotiating table,” he said.
Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington resumed in Oman earlier this month, with a second round scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, Takht-Ravanchi confirmed.
“(Initial talks went) more or less in a positive direction, but it is too early to judge,” he said.
A US delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner is expected to meet Iranian officials in Geneva, with Omani representatives mediating.
Takht-Ravanchi said the “ball is in the US court” to demonstrate it is serious about reaching an agreement, adding that Washington had publicly and privately, through Oman, expressed interest in a peaceful resolution.
While Tehran has signaled readiness to negotiate limits on its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, it has repeatedly ruled out discussions on its ballistic missile program. Takht-Ravanchi reaffirmed that position, saying Iran would not deprive itself of what it considers defensive capabilities.
“When we were attacked by the Israelis and the Americans, our missiles came to our help. So how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities?” he said.
Iran has also rejected linking the nuclear talks to its regional policies, including support for allied armed groups, an issue increasingly raised in US political discourse around the negotiations.
US chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have told President Donald Trump that history shows it is difficult, if not impossible, to reach a good deal with Iran, Axios reported citing a US official.
In their recent meeting in Washington DC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump it is impossible to make a good deal with Iran and claimed that even if a deal is signed, Iran will not abide by it, the report said citing a US official.
Trump told Netanyahu he thinks there is a chance to reach a deal with Iran, the official said.
"We'll see if it's possible. Let's give it a shot", Trump said, according to the US official.
Over one million Iranians rallied across Europe, North America and Australia on Saturday in response to a call by exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, while nighttime chants echoed from rooftops and apartment blocks inside Iran in a coordinated show of solidarity.
The largest gatherings took place in Toronto, Los Angeles and Munich, the three cities highlighted in the exiled prince's calls for solidarity rallies, where almost one million demonstrated.
In Munich, the local police estimated the crowd at around 250,000 people. Protesters filled the Theresienwiese grounds, waving lion-and-sun flags and chanting slogans in support of the national uprising in Iran.
In a speech delivered to the massive crowd in Munich, Pahlavi called the current moment “our final battle.”
The Toronto and Los Angeles rallies of Iranians also each drew 350,000 people, according to the two cities’ police.
In Toronto, Canadian officials including Ontario Premier Doug Ford and provincial ministers addressed demonstrators, voicing support for the Iranian people and condemning Tehran’s crackdown.
In Los Angeles which is home to the biggest population of Iranian diaspora, speakers and cultural figures joined the rally, framing the turnout as a message to Western governments to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic.
The global demonstrations coincided with renewed nighttime protests across Iranian cities following a call by the exiled prince.
Videos sent to Iran International showed residents in Tehran, Karaj, Shiraz, Isfahan, Rasht, and Kermanshah chanting “Death to the dictator” and other anti-government slogans from rooftops and windows. In some neighborhoods, chants referenced Pahlavi directly, echoing slogans heard at overseas rallies.
Political developments unfolded in parallel. Canada announced sanctions against seven individuals accused of involvement in repression and transnational intimidation.
In Washington, two US officials told Reuters the military is preparing contingency plans for a possible multi-week operation against Iran if ordered by President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner consider the prospects of a comprehensive agreement with Tehran “difficult, if not impossible,” ahead of expected talks in Geneva hosted by Oman.
Iranians chanted slogans from their homes and rooftops against the Islamic Republic in response to a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
An eyewitness from Mehrshahr, Karaj, told Iran International that government forces responded by opening fire at their windows.
"It is a time of choosing. I choose the Iranian people over the murderous ayatollah. It is time for him to go," Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham told a massive crowd of Iranian protesters in Munich as he waved the pre-1979 Lion and Sun flag of Iran.
"Liberation is at hand. To the people of the world: Speak up. Speak loudly. This is a moment of choosing. This is a moment of change. It's been a moment. I've been dreaming of a free Iran. A road that doesn't want the darkness. But embraces the light," he said.
"To the American people. The Iranian people will be your friend. They will be your ally. Stand with the Iranian people. They deserve their freedom to the American people. Remember when we fought for our freedom? Do you remember when we wanted to be independent and free?"
