It has not been long since the US Iran clash rocked the middle east and the world. Now the region is bound to heat up again as Iran has reaffirmed its commitment to continuing its uranium enrichment programme, calling it a matter of “national pride” and insisting that its nuclear activities remain peaceful. Iran has also declared that it will not back down from the US and its allies, enraging US President Donald Trump who warned more bombardments.
The Iranian stance came after recent reports confirmed significant damage to Iranian nuclear facilities, which officials suggest may have been caused by sabotage or military strikes.
“For now, enrichment is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe,” Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview.
“But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists.” He added that any future nuclear deal must include Iran’s right to enrichment.
Araghchi’s comments came weeks after US air strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran on 22 June, including the underground Fordow site, in response to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
While acknowledging that the facilities were “severely destroyed,” Araghchi insisted that Iran’s nuclear expertise remains intact.
“The technology is there. Our nuclear programme, our enrichment programme, is not something imported from outside that can be destroyed by bombings,” he said.
“The enrichment of uranium is our legitimate right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran declared. “Our nuclear programme is peaceful and will continue, regardless of external pressure or aggression.”
Araghchi also confirmed that Iran will continue to develop and manufacture missiles. “We still have a good number of missiles to defend ourselves,” he said, despite Israeli strikes on Iran’s missile infrastructure during the recent conflict.
These statements come at the back of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s declaration that it is ready to respond to any renewed military attack, and that it could deliver an even bigger blow to its adversaries, than what it gave during the 12-day war with Israel.
“Iran is capable to give bigger blow to its adversaries than seen in Iran-Israel war. Iran is ready to respond to any renewed military attack,” the Supreme Leader said.
“The fact that our nation is ready to face the power of the United States and its dog on a leash, Israel, is very praiseworthy,” Khamenei said.
Angry Trump Promises more strikes on Iran
After the attacks on Iran Trump had declared “His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were Obliterated, and I knew exactly where he was sheltered and would not let Israel or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the greatest and most powerful in the world, terminate his life,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
“I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death, and he does not have to say, ‘Thank you, President Trump!’ ” wrote Mr. Trump, after the U.S. airstrikes, sending warnings via social media to Mr. Khamenei that the U.S. knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now.”
The US President also responded to Araghchi’s remarks on continuing enrichment on his Truth Social platform, writing: “Of course they are [nuclear sites damaged], just like I said, and we will do it again, if necessary!”
Last month Trump had said the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites were “a perfect operation”, and warned his country would strike Iran again if it resumes its nuclear programme.
US ally Israel attacked Iran on June 13, and the Middle Eastern rivals then engaged in an air war for 12 days in which Washington also bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran answered by targeting US bases in Qatar reportedly striking at critical infrastructures.
Putin meets Khamenei’s close aide
Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday met Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s top adviser Larijani for nuclear talks, Kremlin said.
Putin reaffirmed Russia’s position in favour of stabilising the region and pursuing a political resolution to matters related to Iran’s nuclear activities, Peskov said.
President Putin, during his meeting with Araghchi, assured Tehran of Moscow’s support in de-escalating the Israel-Iran conflict hours after the US strikes at Iranian nuclear sites at dawn on June 22.
Moscow and Tehran have also signed a strategic partnership treaty, but it does not provide for military assistance in case any side is attacked.
Russia alao reiterated its support for Tehran to to pursue its civil nuclear research under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight.
Meanwhile Iran said that it had reached an agreement in principle to hold talks with the UK, France and Germany over its nuclear programme, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
Iran-US talks have remained deadlocked since the Israeli offensive on Iran to stop the country from going further with its nuclear plans. Iranian officials have demanded assurances against further attacks, including by the US, which officially joined Israel’s campaign in bombing Iran’s nuclear sites last month. For the moment the situation remains the same, Iran is looking to enrich again and Trump has warned he will bombard Iran again. The recurrence of June’s events seem only a matter of time as the Middle east region is braced for the confrontation to begin again.
