Iran’s nuclear spox rebukes Rubio’s lack of info on enrichment, calls for ‘calculated comments’
Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman and deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), has pushed back against recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, rejecting his claim that only nuclear-armed states are enriching uranium.
In a televised interview last week, Rubio claimed, "The only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons."
He said that Iran has to "walk away from enrichment," while also demanding restrictions on the country's legitimate missile program and allowing American inspectors access to its nuclear sites.
Responding to the comments, Kamalvandi said on Friday that, "Iran is not the only country enriching uranium without possessing nuclear weapons. It must be troubling for their State Department staff that their Secretary made such a statement without proper research."
He went on to list countries that, like Iran, enrich uranium while rejecting the development of nuclear arms.
"Countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan, Argentina, and Germany enrich uranium and yet do not possess nuclear weapons," he said, calling on the US officials to make "calculated comments" on such issues.
Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), stresses that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful and within its rights under the treaty. Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized that uranium enrichment for civilian purposes—such as fuel for nuclear power plants—is permitted under international law.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also weighed in on the controversy via social media last week, stating, "Repeating falsehoods will not change basic facts. As a founding signatory to the NPT, Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle."
He emphasized that "there are several NPT members which enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons," and called Rubio’s rhetoric “incendiary.”
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s has prohibited pursuance, attainment, and storage of such non-conventional arms through an official decree as per religious and moral grounds.
Rubio made the remarks amid indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, with three rounds held so far.
The fourth round, originally scheduled for last Saturday, was postponed, with some reports suggesting it may take place on Sunday, although no official confirmation has been issued.
Tehran has consistently maintained that a deal is within reach if Washington genuinely seeks assurances about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. Iranian officials have also warned that "unrealistic" demands could jeopardize the talks.
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