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By Gabe Whisnant and Sonam Sheth
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Iran issued a sharp response Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that Tehran could suffer significant military consequences if a nuclear deal isn't reached soon.
Why It Matters
Washington and Tehran have engaged in multiple rounds of talks as part of the United States' effort to get Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Iran has insisted that its stockpiling of enriched uranium is strictly for peaceful purposes, but the U.S., European nations and Israel have voiced significant concerns over Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
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The issue took center stage this week, as Trump visits Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in his first major foreign trip since taking office in January. The president has repeatedly appealed to the leaders of all three nations to help facilitate a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement.
What To Know
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Thursday that the U.S. has not engaged in military action and is choosing diplomacy because Iran's military is serving as a deterrent.
"If the other side—whether during the earlier talks with the P5+1 or now with the United States—were able to destroy our nuclear facilities through military means, they would have done so," Araghchi said. "They came to the table because they cannot impose their will by force." White House special envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the talks from the U.S. side.
The foreign minister's remarks come as Trump says the U.S. is "very close" to reaching a nuclear deal with Iran after Tehran "sort of" agreed to the Trump administration's terms.
Hours after Trump's comments, Araghchi said the ability to enrich uranium is a core right for Iran and one that it will not give up.
"We have said repeatedly that defending Iran's nuclear rights—including enrichment—is a fundamental principle," Araghchi said, according to the Associated Press. "This is not something we concede, either in public discourse or in negotiations. It is a right that belongs to the Iranian people, and no one can take it away."
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Meanwhile, on Wednesday, another top Iranian official offered one of the clearest signs yet that Iran is willing to negotiate a tenable nuclear agreement with the U.S. in which Tehran would give up its nuclear goals.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior political and military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told NBC News that Tehran will commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of enriched uranium which can be weaponized, agree to enrich uranium only to the lower levels needed for civilian use and allow international inspectors to supervise the process.
Shamkhani said Iran wants all economic sanctions lifted in return. When NBC asked him if Iran would sign an agreement with those terms today, Shamkhani replied, "Yes."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday: "Iran has sort of agreed to the terms: They're not going to make, I call it, in a friendly way, nuclear dust. We're not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran."
What Happens Next
Trump has insisted throughout the talks that the U.S. will not sign an agreement with Iran unless it includes Tehran giving up its nuclear ambitions.
"They can't have nuclear weapons. That's the only thing," he said this week. "It's very simple. It's not like I have to give you 30 pages worth of details. It is only one sentence. They can't have a nuclear weapon."
But he suggested Wednesday that he's also looking for Tehran to make other concessions as part of a deal.
Iran "must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons," Trump said in Saudi Arabia. "They cannot have a nuclear weapon."
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.
Update 5/15/25, 5:57 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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