TNA Staff
The New Arab / February 8, 2026
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi stressed on Sunday that Tehran’s strength came from its ability to “say no to the great powers,” striking a maximalist position just after negotiations with the United States over its nuclear programme and in the wake of nationwide protests.
Araghchi, speaking to diplomats at a summit in Tehran, said that Iran would stick to its position that it must be able to enrich uranium.
“Iran has paid a very heavy price for its peaceful nuclear programme and for uranium enrichment,” the foreign minister said in the country’s capital.
“Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behaviour,” he said, two days after he met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman.
The top diplomat also insisted that the US’s military deployment in the region does not “scare” them, believing that “the secret of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s power lies in its ability to stand against bullying, domination and pressures from others”.
Araghchi’s remarks come two days after talks with Washington in Oman, which came amid a series of US threats to strike the country in the wake of Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protesters, and years-long tensions regarding Iran’s nuclear programme deal.
