Iran will make no nuclear concessions, Iranian official says
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FILE PHOTO: People walk past a billboard about the Strait of Hormuz, on a building in Tehran, Iran, September 16, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
By Parisa Hafezi and Don Durfee
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Iran will show no flexibility over its nuclear program even if the United States accepts its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which calls for steps including the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the waterway would remain closed until “all of Iran’s conditions are met” by the United States.
Under Iran’s proposal, Tehran has offered to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Within seven days, hostilities would end on all fronts, including Lebanon, the United States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release Iran’s frozen funds and waive its oil sanctions, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday.
The proposal follows a sharp escalation in Middle East tensions after seven months of war between Iran and the United States, with Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen launching missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia.
The strait has become the central bargaining chip in efforts to end the US-Iran conflict, with Iran seeking relief from the US blockade that is choking its economy and Washington seeking free passage for ships on the global oil supply route now blocked by Tehran.
In a meeting with journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he hoped a deal with Washington to end the hostilities could be reached before the US midterm elections on November 3.
Tehran said it would be prepared to engage in detailed negotiations over its nuclear program only after its conditions are met by the US.
But the official said Iran would give no concessions over its rights, including enriching uranium or shipping its highly enriched uranium out of the country, one of the main US demands.
Israel, the United States and other Western states have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, including pointing to its move to enrich uranium to 60%, far higher than needed for civilian uses and closer to the 90% needed for a weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% when Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. How much of that has survived is unclear.
Iranian authorities have said that Iran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium.
In May, Reuters reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a directive that the country's HEU should not be sent abroad, according to two senior Iranian sources.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Howard Goller)
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