Speaking in a 16-minute interview aired on Fox News, Araghchi said enrichment had been halted due to the damage but insisted the program remains a matter of “national pride.”
“It is now stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe, but obviously, we cannot give up our enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists, and now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,” he told the network.
Araghchi also indicated that Iran is open to negotiations with the United States, though not directly for now. “If they [the US] are coming for a win-win solution, I am ready to engage with them,” he said. “There is a negotiated solution for our nuclear programme. We have done it once in the past. We are ready to do it once again.”
Talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Oman, had previously taken place but the two sides failed to reach agreement on how far Iran could go with enrichment. Washington and Israel argue Iran was nearing weapons-grade levels. Tehran denies this, maintaining its nuclear program is civilian in nature.
In the interview, Araghchi said Iran is “ready to do any confidence-building measure needed to prove that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever, and Iran would never go for nuclear weapons, and in return, we expect them to lift their sanctions.”
The conflict began when Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, leading to a 12-day air war that included US involvement in targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. A ceasefire was declared in late June.
Araghchi also commented on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying he is in “good health.”
Iran remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated it has “no credible indication” of an active nuclear weapons program in the country. Israel, which is not a signatory to the treaty, is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons.
