TEHRAN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said the U.S. positions on Tehran's uranium enrichment are "unreasonable and illogical," according to the official news agency IRNA.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony in Tehran marking the first anniversary of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024, while pointing to U.S. officials' insistence that Iran should completely cease its uranium enrichment as the two countries have been engaged in indirect nuclear talks.
Araghchi stressed that Iran considered its peaceful right to uranium enrichment non-negotiable.
"What we are witnessing now are the U.S. officials' unreasonable and illogical positions that have become public over the past few days. Iran immediately responded to these positions," he said.
"We will under no circumstances give up on these rights," he added.
In a speech delivered at a ceremony to commemorate Raisi earlier in the day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned the United States against making "nonsensical" remarks regarding Tehran's uranium enrichment, according to footage published on his website.
Facilitated by Oman, Iranian and U.S. delegations have so far held four rounds of indirect talks since April on Tehran's nuclear program and the lifting of U.S. sanctions. A fifth round is expected to be held in the coming days, with its date and venue to be announced later.
In recent days, U.S. officials have repeatedly demanded that Iran completely cease uranium enrichment, a request firmly rejected by Tehran. ■
