Iran says it can restart uranium enrichment despite US, Israeli strikes

Iran still has the capabilities to enrich uranium — despite U.S. and Israeli strikes — and could restart its nuclear program if it wanted to, Tehran’s foreign minister claimed. 

While the U.S. struck three key Iranian nuclear sites, Israel destroyed much of its air defenses, took out top military commanders and killed at least 13 nuclear scientists and more than 1,000 people, according to figures put out by Tehran. Israel claims it killed 30 senior security officials and 11 top nuclear scientists. 

“Buildings can be rebuilt. Machines can be replaced, because the technology is there. We have plenty of scientists and technicians who used to work in our facilities,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a recent interview with the Financial Times. 

“But when and how we restart our enrichment depends on the circumstances.”

IRAN WILL NOT GIVE UP NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT, TOP OFFICIAL CONFIRMS IN EXCLUSIVE FOX NEWS INTERVIEW

Washington maintains that it inflicted significant damage to Iran’s two main uranium enrichment sites, Fordow and Natanz, and fired missiles that rendered the Isfahan facility essentially inoperable, setting Iran’s nuclear program back “years.” 

Now, the world is watching to see whether Iran and the West will be able to come to a deal that ensures Iran does not work towards a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. 

Araghchi said the U.S. must offer funds to Iran to compensate for last month’s strikes in order to move forward with negotiations. 

“They should explain why they attacked us in the middle of . . . negotiations, and they have to ensure that they are not going to repeat that [during future talks],” Araghchi said. “They have to compensate [Iran for] the damage that they have done.”

Araghchi claimed the so-called 12-Day War “proved there is no military solution for Iran’s nuclear program.”

Araghchi also said the strikes had prompted calls from within the regime to weaponize Iran’s nuclear program but claimed Iran would continue to abide by a two-decade-old fatwa banning the production of nuclear weapons. 

Trump said that the United States had completed a “very successful” strike against Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, saying…