Iran has rejected a U.S. demand to halt uranium enrichment ahead of a new round of nuclear talks set for Saturday in Oman. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran must stop all enrichment and import only low-level uranium for civilian use.
“Zero enrichment is unacceptable,” a senior Iranian official close to the negotiating team said Wednesday.
The talks come as Iran accelerates enrichment to 60% purity, nearing weapons-grade levels, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“There’s a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one,” Rubio told the “Honestly with Bari Weiss” podcast.
“But if they insist on enriching, then they’ll be the only country in the world without a weapons program doing so. That’s problematic.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed a maximum pressure campaign on Tehran, combining sweeping sanctions with warnings of potential military action.
Iran maintains its program is peaceful and denies any pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Last week, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff initially said Iran didn’t need to enrich beyond 3.67%, then clarified that all enrichment must stop and be eliminated.
Rubio echoed that on Tuesday, saying Iran could import enriched material like other countries with peaceful nuclear programs.
Western officials argue there is no civilian justification for 60% enrichment.
Only states that have built weapons have enriched to that level.
The outcome of Saturday’s talks remains uncertain. Both sides are holding firm.
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U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says he is hopeful there will be a meeting with Iran in the coming days whilst the regime says calling for talks and bombing were "intolerable". G7 leaders were told yesterday that the war would end in weeks. Welcome to our coverage of the Middle East conflict.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has voiced doubts about the effectiveness of the U.S. and Israeli military campaign in Iran, warning that the conflict risks becoming prolonged and increasingly complex.
The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations on Friday called for an immediate stop to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Iran war.
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France has rejected claims that South Africa was dropped from the guest list for this year’s G7 summit under pressure from United States, insisting the decision to invite Kenya was its own.
Russia has delivered a large shipment of humanitarian aid to Iran, as ongoing conflict damages health infrastructure and leaves civilians in urgent need of care.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says he is hopeful there will be a meeting with Iran in the coming days whilst the regime says calling for talks and bombing were "intolerable". G7 leaders were told yesterday that the war would end in weeks. Welcome to our coverage of the Middle East conflict.
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Uzbekistan is pursuing a dual-track development strategy, combining the expansion of its energy sector with an ambitious environmental agenda, as new oil and gas projects on the Ustyurt Plateau progress alongside large-scale greening initiatives.
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