TEHRAN - President Masoud Pezeshkian has stressed that Iran will never abandon its nuclear rights in negotiations with the United States.

“We will not forgo our right to enrich uranium, and the other side will have no choice but to accept this right,” Pezeshkian said at the 33rd Monetary and Banking Policy Conference held at the premises of the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran on Sunday.

Pezeshkian clarified that Washington’s sole demand is that Iran must not possess an atomic bomb, a position he said is fully consistent with Tehran’s declared policy. He noted that the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, had repeatedly stated that Iran neither seeks nor intends to develop nuclear weapons.

Pezeshkian made the remarks as Iranian and US delegations continue negotiations in Geneva following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday. 

Iran has repeatedly stated that it will not accept a US “zero enrichment” policy, while also insisting that its stockpile of highly enriched uranium will not be transferred abroad. 

Under paragraph 8 of the MoU, Tehran says it would only agree to dilute its highly enriched uranium if Washington fully complies with its commitments.

Iran also argues that its position to uranium enrichment is grounded in Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which affirms the inalienable right of signatories to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under safeguards. Iranian officials say this provides an international legal basis for enrichment activities under monitoring, reinforcing Tehran’s stance that its nuclear program remains peaceful and treaty-compliant.