Severe limits on uranium enrichment by Tehran are non-negotiable, Washington's envoy Steve Witkoff has insisted

The US will not accept any nuclear deal with Iran that allows Tehran to continue uranium enrichment, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, has said. Iran has dismissed the demand as "unrealistic," but said it is open to dialogue.

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Witkoff stated that while the Trump administration wants to solve the stand-off with Iran diplomatically, "we have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment."

"We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability," he stressed. "Enrichment enables weaponization. And we will not allow a bomb to get here."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi fired back, dismissing the demand as "unrealistic" and saying Tehran would continue enriching uranium with or without a deal. He also suggested that the US is "completely detached from the reality of negotiations." 

Araghchi added that Iran was willing to show that it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons. "If the US is interested in ensuring that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, a deal is within reach, and we are ready for a serious conversation to achieve a solution that will forever ensure that outcome," the minister said.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, far above the 3.67% cap set under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal and close to the 90% needed for weapons-grade material. While US officials have on numerous occasions warned that Tehran is just weeks away from a nuclear breakthrough, Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and not aimed at producing a bomb.

Last week, the New York Times reported, citing sources, that Iran proposed the creation of a joint enrichment venture involving regional Arab states and American investment during recent indirect talks in Oman. A spokesman for Witkoff has denied the claim.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, which had curbed Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. At the time, Trump argued that the agreement was too weak to prevent Iran from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons. The US reimposed sanctions, prompting Tehran to gradually ramp up enrichment beyond agreed limits.