Bombay Durpun - Iran defies US threats to insist on right to enrich uranium

The minister, Abbas Araghchi told a forum in Tehran attended by AFP, that Tehran had little trust in Washington and even doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously.

"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," Araghchi

"Their military deployment in the region does not scare us," he said, referring to the arrival of an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Arabian Sea.

The United States and Iran reopened negotiations on Friday, for the first time in years, in Oman.

Iran is seeking to have US economic sanctions on the country lifted, in exchange for what Araghchi said at the forum could be "a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear programme."

Western countries and Israel, thought to be the Middle East's only country with nuclear weapons, say Iran is seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb, which the Islamic republic denies.

"They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not looking for one. Our atomic bomb is the power to say 'no' to the great powers," Araghchi said.

- 'Peace through strength' -

Araghchi's comments came after US lead negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the aircraft carrier on Saturday, signalling the persistent threat of US military action against Iran.

The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said the two top officials visited the nuclear-powered vessel.

In a social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group was "keeping us safe and upholding President Trump's message of peace through strength".

The threat of war continues to hover over the negotiations, even as Trump called the talks "very good" and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on social media that they "constitute a step forward".

Following Friday's first round in Oman, Trump signed an executive order calling for the "imposition of tariffs" on countries still doing business with Iran despite US sanctions.

The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran's oil exports.

At the Tehran forum Sunday, Araghchi called into question the United States' commitment to negotiations.

"The continuation of certain sanctions and military actions raise doubts about the seriousness and readiness of the other side to conduct genuine negotiations," he said.

"We are monitoring the situation closely, assessing all the signals andwill decide on the continuation of the negotiations."

- Protests toll -

Talks between the two arch enemies came amid a major US military buildup in the region in the wake of Iran's crackdown on protests that began in late December, driven by economic grievances.

The authorities in Iran have acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed in the recent protests, publishing on Sunday a list of 2,986 names, most of whom they say were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders.

International organisations have put the toll far higher.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which has kept a running toll since the onset of the protests, says it has verified 6,961 deaths, mainly of protesters, and has another 11,630 cases under investigation. It has also counted more than 51,000 arrests.

X.Badami--BD