Iran Says Uranium Enrichment Halted After Strikes, Signals Openness to Renewed Nuclear Talks

Tehran, November 17, 2025: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the country is no longer enriching uranium at any of its nuclear sites, claiming all facilities remain under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards and monitoring. His remarks appeared to be a direct message to the West that Tehran remains open to diplomatic engagement following the bombing of its enrichment centres during the 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States in June.

Responding to a question from an Associated Press journalist visiting Iran, Araghchi said enrichment had stopped only because the facilities had been attacked. “There is no undeclared nuclear enrichment in Iran. There is no enrichment right now because our enrichment facilities have been attacked,” he said.

He added that while Iran is willing to talk, its nuclear rights remain non-negotiable. “Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology, including enrichment, is undeniable. We hope the international community, including the United States, recognises this,” Araghchi said.

The AP journalist was granted a rare three-day visa to attend a government-organised summit alongside other international reporters. Senior Iranian nuclear official Mohammad Eslami also addressed attendees, claiming that Iran had repeatedly been threatened over accessing the bombed sites. Satellite imagery assessed over recent months indicates that no major reconstruction has taken place at Fordo, Isfahan, or Natanz.

“Our security situation hasn’t changed. Every day we are told that touching anything will lead to another attack,” Eslami said.

Before the June strikes, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity — close to weapons-grade levels — a move Tehran escalated after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord in 2018. While Iran insists its programme is peaceful, Western governments and the IAEA maintain the country pursued a coordinated weapons effort until 2003.

European nations have already backed a measure to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran, complicating diplomatic prospects ahead of this week’s IAEA Board of Governors meeting, where a resolution censuring Iran could be tabled.

Despite escalating tensions, Araghchi indicated that negotiations with the United States remain possible if Washington shifts from what he described as “maximalist and excessive” demands. “We see no chance for dialogue under such conditions,” he said, but added that Iran would reconsider talks if the US approach changed.

The comments came during a summit titled “International Law Under Assault: Aggression and Self-Defence,” organised by Iran’s Institute for Political and International Studies. Iranian scholars at the event condemned Israel’s June airstrikes, portraying Iran’s military response as legitimate and proportionate. Images of children killed during the war lined the entrance to the venue, housed in a building named after General Qassem Soleimani.

Iran now faces heightened security risks after Israel’s strikes severely damaged its air defence network. Domestic pressures also continue to mount, with the government delaying decisions on sensitive issues such as enforcing the hijab law and increasing fuel prices, both of which have sparked major protests in recent years.