Iran's atomic energy chief rules out concessions on enrichment
The statement follows Trump's remark that he no longer wants to pursue a deal and reports the Pentagon has been asked to prepare strike options before the midterms.
Published
Iran's atomic energy chief said the country will not back down on enrichment, repeating a position Tehran has held through weeks of pressure from Washington.
The refusal comes days after Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio demanded Iran cut back its enrichment activity. Iran's government has said any response to US proposals will be handled through intermediaries, not direct concessions.
Trump has said he no longer wants to pursue a deal with Iran. Two administration officials say the White House has directed the Pentagon to prepare strike options framed around the midterm election calendar, and the Atlantic has reported that the Pentagon was asked for options on possible strikes, with size and targets still undetermined. Defense Secretary Hegseth has said theocratic regimes should never hold nuclear weapons and that Trump shares that view.
Iran's posture elsewhere has hardened in parallel. Iranian officials say the country will soon block what it calls illegal routes through the Strait of Hormuz and can raise its missile range as the battlefield requires. An adviser to the Revolutionary Guards commander has said illegal routes through the strait will be targeted, and President Pezeshkian has described the country as being in 'all-out war,' vowing to resist.
The enrichment stance adds nothing new to the standoff but removes one more possible off-ramp from it. Crude is still carrying a disruption premium tied to the strait, and continued insistence on enrichment keeps the dispute on the confrontation track rather than the mediated one, leaving broader risk sentiment exposed to whatever follows.