Tehran, Feb 9 (IANS) Iran's nuclear chief said on Monday Tehran could consider diluting its 60 per cent enriched uranium, but only if all international sanctions are fully lifted, according to the official news agency IRNA.
President of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Mohammad Eslami made the remarks in an address to reporters while responding to a question about whether the United States demanded that his country dilute its 60 per cent uranium in indirect negotiations between the two sides in Oman on Friday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
"This issue (Iran's dilution of its enriched uranium) depends on whether they will lift all sanctions in return or not," Eslami said.
He stressed that transferring Iran's enriched uranium to another country has basically not been on the agenda, adding that such a proposal has solely been put forward by individuals or countries seeking to contribute to the resolution of the issue.
Eslami called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to fulfill its obligations and condemn the Israeli and US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities in June last year.
He emphasised that Iran's nuclear activities are entirely within the framework of law and safeguards agreements.
Delegations from Iran and the United States, headed by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff, held indirect nuclear talks in the Omani capital Muscat on Friday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday urged Iranians to show unity and "disappoint the enemy" ahead of the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, amid rising tensions with the United States.
In a televised address, Khamenei said national power relies more on "determination and resistance" than on military hardware like missiles and aircraft. His remarks come as Iran prepares for nationwide rallies on Wednesday to mark the revolution's victory.
"Until the enemy is disappointed, a nation is exposed to persecution," Khamenei said. "The enemy must be disappointed."
He described the annual marches as a display of dignity that forces foreign powers to "retreat" from ambitions of interfering in Iranian affairs.
The speech follows a period of heightened friction with the United States, fueled by a US military buildup in the Middle East and ongoing threats against Tehran. Despite indirect nuclear negotiations between Iranian and US delegations in Muscat, Oman, on Friday, significant gaps remain, leaving the prospect of a deal uncertain.
Khamenei expressed hope that this year's anniversary would compel "other nations, governments, and powers to display modesty and reverence" toward the Iranian people.
The 1979 Islamic Revolution was a watershed moment that transformed Iran from a pro-Western monarchy into an Islamic republic. Led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a diverse coalition of clerics, students, and secular activists overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was supported by the United States.
Iran and the United States severed diplomatic ties in 1980 after the Iranian people seized the US Embassy in Tehran.
--IANS
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