Iran has no intention of ending its uranium enrichment activities or surrendering its uranium stockpiles, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, declared Thursday, according to Iranian state media.
Eslami's remarks came in response to renewed American demands that Tehran significantly reduce its nuclear enrichment capabilities as a condition for reaching an agreement to end the ongoing war.
Rejecting Washington's latest warnings about possible attacks on Iranian nuclear installations as “nothing new," Eslami insisted that uranium enrichment remains “an inseparable part" of the nuclear process.
His comments underscore the continuing disagreements between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program, which have prevented several rounds of indirect negotiations from producing a breakthrough.
The talks are intended to bring an end to the conflict between the two countries and secure the reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier this week, US Vice President JD Vance told Reuters that Iran must demonstrate a genuine willingness to scale back its nuclear activities before the United States would agree to end the war.
Vance emphasized that Washington would not accept assurances about future Iranian conduct without concrete measures to reduce the country's enrichment capacity.
"If you don't want a nuclear weapon, then why do you need 60% enriched fuel? And if you want to show commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, don't build highly enriched fuel. That's a very basic threshold issue," Vance said.
"I think if they want to show a commitment to not building a nuclear weapon, they would do something meaningful on their enrichment capacity."
The vice president stressed that the Trump administration was seeking verifiable changes rather than additional Iranian promises.
"We're not going to trade words for actions," Vance told Reuters.
Nevertheless, he indicated that Washington remained open to a negotiated settlement if Tehran agreed to substantive concessions concerning its nuclear program.
The dispute comes amid conflicting signals from the White House regarding the possibility of renewed military action against Iran.
Last week, President Donald Trump described Iran as “ready to fold up" and suggested that an American victory in the war could come shortly after the November midterm elections, or potentially even sooner.
On Thursday, however, Trump announced that the United States would refrain from launching attacks against Iran before the November 3 elections.
“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump also said Iran was experiencing significant economic and military difficulties, while making clear that American pressure on Tehran would continue.
The president added that the US blockade of Iran would remain fully in place, even as oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued at exceptionally high levels.