Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran on Saturday reaffirmed its right to enrich uranium, insisting that its nuclear program fully complies with international law.

At a press conference, Esmaeil Baqaei, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, cited the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the foundation of Iran’s position, noting that the treaty aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons while ensuring member states can pursue peaceful nuclear energy.

Baqaei added that Iran, an NPT member since 1970, has consistently fulfilled its treaty obligations, arguing that selective interpretations by some nuclear-armed states have created undue suspicion toward other nations’ civilian nuclear programs.

Recalling Iran’s 1974 initiative to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in West Asia, he described the country’s nuclear activities as transparent, under continuous oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through safeguards agreements.

On technical cooperation, Baqaei explained that inspections at undamaged facilities continue as usual. However, sites damaged by Israeli and US attacks during the 12-day war with Israel last June cannot follow standard procedures due to the absence of a clear mechanism and ongoing safety and security concerns.

The remarks come as Iran prepares for a second nuclear meeting with the US in Geneva, building on February 6 indirect talks in Muscat, which both sides described as a constructive start despite remaining differences. Tehran maintains that negotiations should focus solely on the nuclear program and rejects restrictions on its missile capabilities, while the Trump administration is pressing for broader concessions, including halting enrichment and ending support for regional allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis (Ansarallah), and armed groups in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained operations against Iran that could last weeks if Trump orders a strike. The US President previously confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, reinforcing American presence following his February 11 White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough,” Trump told Axios.

Read more: US-Iran Muscat talks: A diplomatic opening shadowed by red line