Iranian Official Says Tehran Will Make No Concessions on Nuclear Programme

Iran will not show any flexibility on its nuclear programme even if the United States agrees to Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday.

The proposal includes demands such as lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strategic waterway would remain closed until Washington meets “all of Iran’s conditions.”

Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end within seven days. In return, the United States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive oil sanctions, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday.

The proposal comes amid a sharp escalation in tensions across the Middle East following seven months of conflict between Iran and the United States, while Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have launched missiles and drones towards Saudi Arabia.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key bargaining point in efforts to end the US-Iran conflict. Tehran is seeking relief from the US blockade, which it says is damaging its economy, while Washington wants the waterway reopened to ensure the free movement of ships along a crucial global oil route.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that he hoped an agreement with Washington to end the conflict could be reached before the November 3 US midterm elections. He made the remarks during a meeting with journalists on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Tehran has said it is willing to hold detailed negotiations on its nuclear programme only after Washington meets its conditions.

However, the Iranian official said Tehran would make no concessions on what it considers its nuclear rights, including uranium enrichment and its refusal to ship highly enriched uranium out of the country—one of Washington’s key demands.

Israel, the United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, citing its enrichment of uranium to 60%, well above levels generally required for civilian purposes and closer to the roughly 90% level associated with weapons-grade material. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency estimated that Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% when Israel and the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. It remains unclear how much of that material survived the attacks.

Iranian authorities have indicated that Tehran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium.

Reuters reported in May that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had directed that the country’s highly enriched uranium should not be sent abroad, citing two senior Iranian sources.