Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country still has the experts, technology and equipment to restart uranium enrichment despite damage to its facilities.
He confirmed in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper that Tehran had been preparing to activate a site near Isfahan when it was hit in U.S. strikes toward the end of the 12-day war with Israel.
Araghchi said he did not know the location of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which had been relocated before the U.S. military intervention ordered last month by President Donald Trump.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for comment.
Why It Matters
Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program remain stalled following strikes by Israel and the United States. The bombing of key nuclear facilities has deepened Iran’s mistrust of Washington and reinforced its resolve to continue enrichment.
What To Know
“Buildings can be rebuilt. Machines can be replaced, because the technology is there. We have plenty of scientists and technicians who used to work in our facilities,” Araghchi said. “But when and how we restart our enrichment depends on the circumstances.”
Western and Israeli officials said the strikes seriously damaged Iran’s nuclear sites but did not destroy them, only delaying its program. Trump previously said the U.S. had hit and “completely obliterated” the fortified underground facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and for civilian energy use, but international observers believe the country has enriched uranium far beyond what is needed for non-nuclear purposes.
“The President has said repeatedly that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” a State Department spokesperson told Newsweek last week.
Missing Uranium Stockpile
Western officials are raising alarms over the disappearance of what the IAEA estimates is more than 400 kilograms—nearly 900 pounds—of enriched uranium, removed by Tehran during the conflict.
After declaring Iran non-compliant with its safeguarding obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the IAEA later pulled out its inspectors following Iran’s suspension of cooperation in response to the Israeli attacks.
The global nuclear watchdog said that since 2019, Iran has failed to comply on “undeclared nuclear material” and activities at “multiple undeclared locations.”
Later, under growing diplomatic pressure from the West, the agency identified a planned uranium enrichment site near Isfahan, one of Iran’s major nuclear hubs. Araghchi confirmed the site was struck by U.S. bombs last month.
Trump said last week he would hit Iranian nuclear sites again “if necessary,” repeating his warning to Tehran that it should abandon its uranium enrichment ambitions. Iran says its forces are ready to respond to any new attack.
Iran Sets Conditions
Araghchi said Tehran remained open to resuming talks with Washington, but only under certain conditions—Iran wants U.S. compensation for damage done to its facilities in June.
“They should explain why they attacked us in the middle of negotiations, and they have to ensure that they are not going to repeat that,” he told the FT.
Iran and the U.S. held several talks in the weeks before the military conflict, and it is continuing talks with France, the U.K. and Germany following a recent meeting in Turkey.
What People Are Saying
Iran’s Foreign Minster Abbas Araghchi told the Financial Times on Thursday: “We can negotiate, they can present their argument, and we will present our own argument. But with zero enrichment, we don’t have a thing.”
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in Scotland on Monday: “We wiped out their nuclear possibilities. They can start again. If they do, we’ll wipe it out faster than you can wave your finger at it.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Newsweek last week: “The Iranian leadership has a window of opportunity to choose a path of peace and prosperity for their people. We are ready to talk directly to the Iranians.”
What Happens Next
Escalating threats and rising tensions with Iran could push the region closer to a renewed military confrontation.
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