Iran open to talks on nukes – but only on militarization

Iran signaled on Sunday that it may be open to negotiations with the United States, but only if discussions focus solely on concerns over the possible militarization of its nuclear program, The Associated Press reported.

In a statement posted on X, Iran’s UN mission said, “If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration.”

The statement comes a day after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed the idea of talks with the US, arguing that Washington’s goal is to impose limits on Iran’s missile capabilities and its influence in the region.

Khamenei’s comments followed an acknowledgment by US President Donald Trump that he had sent a letter to Khamenei in an effort to secure a new deal to curb Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

In response to Khamenei, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes reiterated almost word for word the choice of negotiations or military action that Trump presented to Iran.

“We hope the Iran Regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror,” he said.

Trump’s outreach comes as both Israel and the US have reiterated that they will never allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, fueling concerns over a potential military confrontation as Tehran continues enriching uranium at near weapons-grade levels.

Iran insists that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes, despite increasingly aggressive rhetoric from officials hinting at the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“However, should the aim be the dismantlement of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program to claim that what Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place,” Iran’s mission said.