Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Tehran’s nuclear stance ahead of a fifth round of indirect talks with the United States, declaring that while Iran has the capability to develop nuclear weapons, it does not have the will or intention to do so based on a binding religious decree.

Posting on X before his departure to Rome, Araghchi wrote: “Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science: Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal."

"Time to decide...," he asserted.

Set to travel to Rome for 5th round of indirect talks with the United States.

Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science:

Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal.
Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal.

Time to decide...

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 22, 2025

In a similar vein, Araghchi reiterated during an interview aired on national Iranian television Thursday night Iran’s commitment to its nuclear rights, while emphasizing openness to dialogue and oversight. "We will not retreat from our rights. Our nuclear program, including enrichment, must continue. However, we are ready to adopt confidence-building and transparency measures and accept broader monitoring, because we are confident in the peaceful nature of our program," he said.

On his part, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei slammed the new wave of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, announced on the eve of the fifth round of Iran-US indirect talks, calling it "a new low in American history."

Marco Rubio's State Department hit a new low in American long history of unlawful coercive & hostile measures against the Iranian nation by further expanding their unlawful sanctions to construction sector and home building.
That's as outrageous as it is unlawful and inhuman.…

— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) May 23, 2025

In a post on X, Baqaei wrote: "Marco Rubio's State Department hit a new low in American long history of unlawful coercive & hostile measures against the Iranian nation by further expanding their unlawful sanctions to construction sector and home building."

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Describing the US measures as outrageously "unlawful and inhuman," he maintained that the "United States multi-layered sanctions & coercive measures against Iran have all been calibrated to deprive each and every Iranian citizen of their basic human rights, and as such these sanctions are no less than crimes against humanity."

He added that the repeated imposition of US sanctions only strengthens the Iranian people's conviction that American policymakers are determined to obstruct Iran’s growth and advancement. Announcing these sanctions just before the fifth round of indirect Iran-US talks casts serious doubt on America’s commitment to diplomacy, according to the spokesperson

"Our nation is resolved to remain steadfast & strong in the face of such absurd animosity," he concluded.

Iran rejects JCPOA revival, shifts toward new framework

Speaking one day before talks resume in the Italian capital, the Iranian Foreign Minister declared that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is neither dead nor revivable. “The JCPOA will bear no fruit for Iran,” he said, signaling Tehran’s intent to pursue a new framework outside the now-crippled nuclear accord.

The Iranian Foreign Minister made it clear that despite Western pressure, Iran will not forfeit its uranium enrichment activities, a key sticking point in previous negotiations. Araghchi pointed to a Fatwa issued by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, which forbids the production or use of nuclear weapons, framing Iran’s nuclear posture as both legally and morally constrained.

Furthermore, Araghchi strongly criticized European attempts to activate the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, which would automatically reimpose UN sanctions, calling the move disruptive and illegitimate. “Europe has no role in the negotiations taking place between us and the United States,” he said.

“If Europe wants to play a role, it must abandon its hostile and confrontational policies toward Iran,” he added, warning that triggering the snapback clause would destabilize the global nuclear order. “They would put in crisis the Non-Proliferation Treaty if they go ahead with their threats.”

He accused European governments of using the snapback threat merely to gain relevance in a process from which they are otherwise excluded.

Araghchi says continuation of talks hinges on American flexibility.

Araghchi confirmed that he and his delegation will arrive in Rome on Friday to engage in the fifth round of indirect negotiations with the US. While expressing Iran’s commitment to diplomacy, he emphasized that the continuation of talks hinges on American flexibility.

“We will continue diplomacy as long as the Americans come along with us and accept our positions,” he said. “We have to wait and see tomorrow whether the other side is willing to revise its positions.”