The head of Iran’s nuclear energy agency has firmly rejected calls from the United States and Israel to impose restrictions on the country’s uranium enrichment activities, asserting that such demands will not be realized. Mohammad Eslami made these remarks ahead of scheduled talks later this week between Iran and the United States, which are to be mediated by Pakistan.

Eslami characterized the pressure from Washington and its allies as fruitless efforts, stating that despite a range of hostile actions—including a recent conflict—their objectives have not been achieved. He suggested that negotiations were now being pursued by those actors seeking new avenues to influence Iran’s nuclear program.

The issue of uranium enrichment has been a longstanding point of contention in Iran’s relations with Western countries. The United States and its partners have repeatedly accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability, a charge Iran denies, maintaining that its program is exclusively for peaceful civilian purposes. Prior to the outbreak of conflict last year, Iran had been enriching uranium to 60%, significantly exceeding the 3.67% limit established under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear agreement and approaching the 90% enrichment level considered weapons-grade, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The recent military conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes targeting Iran-linked sites, including nuclear facilities, occurred amid ongoing negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. During a 12-day war in June of the previous year, Israel and the United States claimed to have severely damaged Iran’s uranium enrichment capacities. However, the whereabouts of several hundred kilograms of highly enriched uranium remain unclear, with some speculation that the material is concealed beneath rubble from bombed sites. Former US President Donald Trump proposed a cooperative effort to recover such material.

Meanwhile, the conflict has spilled over into Lebanon, where Israeli forces have intensified strikes against Hezbollah. The Lebanese health ministry reported at least 203 deaths and over 1,000 injuries from the latest attacks. Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned that Lebanon is an integral part of Tehran’s ceasefire considerations and threatened strong responses to ongoing hostilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed continued military actions against Hezbollah, emphasizing Israel’s intent to target any groups posing threats to civilian populations.

President Trump declared a tentative victory in the Middle East conflict following a two-week ceasefire agreement designed to facilitate negotiations between US and Iranian representatives. However, the prospects for these talks, scheduled to begin in Pakistan, were immediately clouded by Iran’s rejection of enrichment limitations and heightened tensions stemming from Israeli military operations in Lebanon.