Tehran, Iran – There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity in the Middle East in recent days, with hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough to end the United States and Israel war on Iran. Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir was in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss the war and recent tensions in Yemen. It comes against the backdrop of fears of a new breakout in conflict in the region.
Despite this, Tehran has held firm to its position that the war will not end, and the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen, until the US accepts its conditions. Iran maintains an unyielding stance on its contentious nuclear programme, which was a factor in the Trump administration’s decision to launch the war on February 28. But he did not rule out downblending the highly enriched uranium inside the country under supervision from monitors, something Iran has offered before.
Iran’s authorities present the decades-old nuclear programme as a sovereign right and an achievement gained despite strikes, sabotage and assassinations. Rezaei described it as “national wealth” on Tuesday. Iran has also used low-enriched uranium for civilian purposes like manufacturing radiopharmaceuticals and for power generation at the Bushehr plant in cooperation with Russia.
The authorities argue that surrendering the nuclear programme under military pressure would amount to capitulation, if it did not guarantee that Iran would not be left exposed to more attacks. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasised since the start of the war that he wanted to dismantle the Iranian nuclear programme. US Vice President JD Vance, however, suggested earlier this month that a “meaningful” reduction in the level of enrichment capacity may satisfy US demands.
Before Israeli and US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that Tehran possessed 440 kilogrammes (970 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60 percent. A nuclear bomb would need enrichment of more than 90 percent. The attacks, followed by further US-Israeli strikes on nuclear sites in 2026, severely damaged Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
With the IAEA unable to inspect key facilities, the current size, condition and whereabouts of much of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remain unverified. Tehran has refused access to the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities since the war started, accusing the agency of advancing Western interests through adopting resolutions and referring the nuclear file to the United Nations Security Council. Iranian authorities maintain they are not pursuing a bomb.
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