Iran Says It Will Not Hand Over Uranium or Abandon Enrichment

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Wednesday evening that Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment under any circumstances and will not hand over its uranium. He was speaking on the sidelines of a memorial ceremony for the mother of the head of the Planning and Budget Organisation.

"Enrichment is an inseparable part of the nuclear process and we will not abandon it under any circumstances," Eslami said. "Can you not have the starting point of the process and then claim to have a nuclear industry? The nuclear industry is the driving engine of science and technology." He added that the United States, including its current president, has placed nuclear technology at the top of its national development, national security, and national defence priorities, and that all countries are rapidly pursuing their nuclear programmes.

Eslami described certain claims as "deception and lies," and said, "What is certain is the progress of a nation. The Iranian nation is not a nation left behind; it is a first-rate nation and a talented nation." He further stated, "Iran is a country with great capacity. The right to progress and to the frontiers of knowledge is the right of the Iranian nation, and we will not back down." The AEOI head stressed, "We will not hand over the uranium."

According to Mehr News, Eslami's remarks reaffirm Iran's position on its nuclear programme amid ongoing international discussions.