Paris/Tehran: Iran has ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment in renewed negotiations with the United States, saying it will not be intimidated by threats of war or military pressure.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at a forum in Tehran attended by AFP on Sunday, said Tehran had little trust in Washington and questioned the seriousness of the US approach to talks.

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“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 said.

He dismissed US military deployments in the region, referring to the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. “Their military deployment in the region does not scare us,” he said.

The United States and Iran resumed negotiations on Friday in Oman, marking their first formal talks in years. Iran is seeking the lifting of US economic sanctions in exchange for what Araghchi described as “a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear programme.”

Western countries and Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state, accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, a claim Tehran 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.

Araghchi’s remarks came a day after US lead negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln, underscoring Washington’s military posture as talks proceed.

The US military’s Central Command confirmed the visit, while Witkoff said on social media that the carrier strike group was “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength”.

Despite the military signalling, US President Donald Trump described the Oman talks as “very good”, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said they “constitute a step forward”.

However, following the talks, Trump signed an executive order calling for the “imposition of tariffs” on countries continuing trade with Iran in defiance of US sanctions. Washington also announced new sanctions targeting shipping companies and vessels linked to Iran’s oil exports.

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At the Tehran forum, Araghchi questioned Washington’s commitment to diplomacy. “The continuation of certain sanctions and military actions raises 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 and will decide on the continuation of the negotiations.”

Protest death toll

The talks come amid a major US military buildup in the region and renewed international scrutiny of Iran’s handling of nationwide protests that erupted in late December over economic grievances.

Iranian authorities on Sunday acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, publishing a list of 2,986 names, which they said included mostly security personnel and civilians.

International organisations dispute those figures. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has verified 6,961 deaths — mostly protesters — with another 11,630 cases under investigation, along with more than 51,000 arrests.