AEOI spox stresses Iran’s enrichment right in meeting with Sobh Festival guests

The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has underscored the country’s right to peaceful nuclear technology, dismissing claims by the US administration that the Islamic Republic is the only non-nuclear weapon state running a uranium enrichment program.

Behrouz Kamalvandi made the remarks during a meeting with the guests of the 3^rd Sobh International Media Festival organized by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in the capital Tehran on Tuesday.

“AEOI Spox refutes US State Sec claim that Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state with enrichment program,” the nuclear organization said in a post on its X social media account.

“Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea, Brazil and Japan also enrich without possessing nukes,” it added. “This type of comment bothers US State Dept staff more than anyone else.”

Kamalvandi was responding to comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisting in a Fox News interview on Thursday that any deal with Iran would demand that it “halt the enrichment of uranium” and instead import nuclear fuel.

Acting as both Secretary of State and interim National Security Advisor, Rubio claimed that Iran’s domestic enrichment program poses proliferation risks, which has on numerous occasions been dismissed by Tehran as being purely politically motivated.

Rubio also called on Iran to “walk away” from uranium enrichment and claimed in his interview with Fox News that, “The only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hit back at Rubio’s remarks, saying that, “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” citing Tehran’s long-standing membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Under the NPT, which Iran joined in 1970, non-nuclear-weapon states are permitted to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight.

In 2015, Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with six world powers. However, Washington’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

In 2019, Iran started to roll back the limits it had accepted under the JCPOA after the other parties failed to live up to their commitments.

Iran and the United States have engaged in nuclear talks since April 12, and a fourth round of talks initially scheduled for Saturday was postponed due to “logistical reasons.”

Despite the three rounds of Iran-US negotiations, the US has continued to threaten with military action and impose sanctions on Iran, with Iran’s government spokesperson saying the Islamic Republic is ready for any scenario.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk