DUBAI, June 4. /TASS/. Iran has made significant sacrifices to develop its nuclear industry and will not agree to give up uranium enrichment as part of a deal with the United States, said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
"Iran has paid dearly for these capabilities, and there is no scenario in which we will give up on the patriots who made our dream come true.
To reiterate: No enrichment, no deal. No nuclear weapons, we have a deal," he wrote on X.
According to Araghchi, only a handful of nations have the ability to maintain nuclear reactors independently, as this requires a solid industrial base and a scientific and technological complex replete with highly-trained professionals.
Earlier, Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei stressed that if the country stopped enriching uranium, it would render the Iranian nuclear industry useless and make the nation dependent on others, which contradicts the basic principles of the Islamic republic. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the US will stipulate that Iran halt enriching uranium in any potential nuclear deal.
Iran and the United States held the fifth round of talks on Tehran's nuclear program in Rome on May 23, it was mediated by Oman. Head of the Omani Foreign Ministry, Badr al-Busaidi, said that "certain, but not final progress" was achieved.