Fars agency reported that Eslami responded to reporters in Tehran about abandoning enrichment, and defended the activity as an essential component of the national nuclear program.

He said, “Enrichment is an integral part of the nuclear program. How can you claim to have a nuclear industry without possessing the starting point for the process?”

The official described the nuclear industry as a driver of scientific and technological development and stated that progress is a right of the Iranian people that the country will not relinquish.

Eslami’s remarks followed a statement by US Vice President J.D. Vance, who affirmed that Iran must significantly scale back its enrichment activities to meet Washington’s demands and end the two nations’ conflict.

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