Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (center) attends a conference on “International Law Under Threat: Aggression and Self-Defense” in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, November 16, 2025.
Vahid Salemi/AP
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Vahid Salemi/AP
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's Foreign Minister said Sunday that Tehran is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country.
Asked by an Associated Press journalist visiting Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gave the Iranian government's most direct response yet on its nuclear program since the Israeli and United States bombing of its enrichment facilities in June.
“There is no undeclared nuclear enrichment in Iran. All our facilities are under the guarantees and control of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Araghchi said. “There is no enrichment now because our facilities—our enrichment capacity—have been attacked.”
Asked what Iran would need to continue negotiations with the United States and other countries, Araghchi said Iran's position on its nuclear program remains “clear.”
“Iran’s right to enrichment, to the peaceful use of nuclear technology, including enrichment, is indisputable,” the Foreign Minister continued. “We have this right and we continue to exercise it, and we hope that the international community, including the United States, recognizes our rights and understands that this is Iran's inalienable right and we will never give up our rights.”
The Iranian government gave the AP reporter a three-day visa to attend the summit along with other journalists from major British publications and other media outlets.
The summit was held at the Iranian Institute of Political and International Studies, affiliated with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference, titled “International Law at Risk: Aggression and Self-Defense,” included presentations from Iranian political analysts outlining Tehran's views on the 12-day war in June, many of which drew on comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praising Israel for doing the “dirty work” of the attack.
“Iran's defensive response was remarkable, inspiring, historic and, above all, pure,” wrote Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour, a professor of international relations. “How can you compare the dirty deeds of Israel with the noble and pure actions of the Iranian people?”
Images of children killed by Israel during the war line the walkway outside the summit, located inside the Martyr General Qassem Soleimani Building, named after the leader of the Revolutionary Guards expedition killed in a US drone strike in 2020.
But Iran found itself in a difficult moment after the war. Israel has destroyed the country's air defense systems, potentially leaving the door open to further airstrikes as tensions remain high over Tehran's nuclear program. Meanwhile, economic pressure and social change continue to challenge Iran's Shiite theocracy, which has so far held back on decisions on whether to enforce compulsory hijab laws or raise the price of government-subsidized gasoline, both of which have sparked nationwide protests in the past.
