Regarding the claims made by US Secretary of State, Iran stated that as a committed member of NPT, it has consistently declared that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of IAEA (Express/File photo) In response to visiting United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks that Iran can never have nuclear weapons, and they need to turn over their highly enriched uranium, the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday said that they consider ‘the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to be the legitimate and inalienable right of its people’’. The embassy stated that Iran will never relinquish this lawful and internationally recognised right. Regarding the US-Iran negotiations, on the sidelines of an official reception in New Delhi on Saturday evening, Rubio said, “There’s been some progress made…Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done…This issue needs to be solved, as the President (Donald Trump) said one way or the other. Iran can never have nuclear weapons. The straits need to be opened without tolls. They need to turn over the highly enriched uranium.” Issuing a statement on Sunday morning in response to Rubio’s remarks, the Iranian Embassy said it rejects the recent remarks. “With regard to the claims made by the US Secretary of State concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran once again recalls that, as a committed member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), it has consistently declared that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).” The IAEA itself has thus far neither observed nor reported any diversion in Iran’s nuclear activities, it added. “Iran considers the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology to be the legitimate and inalienable right of its people and emphasises that it will never relinquish this lawful and internationally recognised right,” the statement added. The embassy statement also weighed in on the Strait of Hormuz crisis and oil sanctions. “As one of the world’s major exporters of oil and energy, Iran has always been prepared to make its energy resources available to all countries, including India. What has held the global energy market hostage over recent years has been the unlawful and unjust sanctions imposed by the US on Iran’s oil exports; sanctions that have been designed and enforced in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, with the aim of exerting economic pressure on the Iranian nation.” Story continues below this ad The embassy stated that oil sanctions represent only a small part of the broader pattern of hostile measures and pressures that US has imposed on the Iranian people over the past 47 years. US, Israel ‘principal drivers’ of energy crises “Iran further underlines that what is currently disrupting and threatening maritime security and the passage of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are the military, provocative, and adventurist actions of the US and the Zionist regime in the region,” it said, calling the US and Israel ‘principal drivers’ behind the escalation of global security and energy crises. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on social media on Saturday that “an agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation” between the US, Iran, and regional powers, adding that the details of the deal, which includes reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, will be announced shortly. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Iranian Official
Iran firmly rejects the US Secretary of State’s remarks as yet another act of foreign aggression and interference in its sovereign rights. As a committed NPT member whose peaceful nuclear programme remains under IAEA supervision, Iran asserts its inalienable right to nuclear science and technology and will resist any attempt to strip the Iranian people of this legitimate entitlement.
Israeli
Iran's defiant refusal to relinquish its highly enriched uranium or curb its nuclear activities, despite US demands, exposes Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear breakout capability that constitutes an existential threat to Israel's survival. From a security perspective, this NPT member’s claims of peaceful intent under IAEA supervision mask a program enabling potential annihilation of the Jewish state, underscoring the defensive necessity of decisive action to neutralize the danger. US diplomatic efforts must align with preventing any outcome that empowers Iran's proxy networks across the region.
Neutral
The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi issued a statement rejecting recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Iran's nuclear program, reiterating that Iran, as an NPT member, maintains its program is peaceful and subject to IAEA oversight while asserting its right to peaceful nuclear technology. Rubio had stated during an event in New Delhi that Iran can never possess nuclear weapons, must relinquish highly enriched uranium, and that some progress had been made in related talks. The embassy described peaceful nuclear use as an inalienable right that Iran will not forgo.
Western
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a core strategic objective, requiring the verifiable turnover of highly enriched uranium and unimpeded transit through critical straits. Iran’s assertions of a peaceful NPT-compliant program under IAEA oversight are viewed as insufficient without concrete steps to neutralize proliferation risks. Ongoing diplomatic efforts aim for a precise resolution that eliminates these threats.
Pro-Peace
Iran's insistence on its NPT-guaranteed right to peaceful nuclear technology highlights the urgent need for sustained diplomatic engagement via the IAEA, rather than threats that risk igniting conflict with catastrophic civilian tolls across the region. Demands to relinquish enriched uranium must be addressed through verified negotiations, not ultimatums, to spare populations the humanitarian devastation of war, displacement, and economic collapse. Prioritizing dialogue offers the only path to de-escalation that protects innocent lives on all sides.
Global South
Iran asserts its sovereign right under the NPT to pursue peaceful nuclear technology as an inalienable entitlement, rejecting US Secretary Rubio’s demands to surrender enriched uranium as overt neo-colonial coercion aimed at subordinating Global South nations’ scientific autonomy. The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi framed these remarks as emblematic of institutional failure, where bodies like the IAEA and NPT serve selective Western interests rather than equitable non-proliferation. This defiance highlights persistent double standards that erode multilateral trust among non-aligned states.
Regarding the claims made by US Secretary of State, Iran stated that as a committed member of NPT, it has consistently declared that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and remains under the supervision of IAEA (Express/File photo) In response to visiting United States Sec…
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Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.
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International mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to a senior Iranian official cited in reports. The measure is described as intended to reduce hostilities and allow renewed talks on a prior interim agreement.
Both sides are assessing next steps in the current regional security situation.
Reports indicate that a US-Iran ceasefire has broken down amid renewed fighting, with the potential impact of mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman remaining unclear. Earlier diplomatic steps included a June memorandum of understanding between the parties for further negotiations and talks hosted in Geneva in February.
The summary also references Europe’s historical role in diplomacy, including the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna.
Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that his representatives had spoken with Iranian officials an hour earlier and that those officials wanted to make a deal to end the conflict, though he noted they had broken prior agreements and expressed uncertainty about whether one would be reached.
He added that people do not want to die and that Iran would need to proceed carefully to avoid further losses. The remarks come amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict that has involved casualties and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with some social media users criticizing the repetition of similar statements.
Why the Iran-US ceasefire is falling apart Iran and the US have resumed fighting because they don’t see each other as ‘reliable negotiating partners’, says analyst Ali Vaez. Neither Iran nor the United States seems able to deliver a “knockout blow at an acceptable price” to the other side, and both know “they have no choice other than engaging in diplomacy”, but they’re not ready to make uncomfortable concessions, argues Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group.
Vaez tells host Steve Clemons that Tehran and Washington are trying to “enforce their own interpretation” of the ceasefire agreement they signed last month. President Trump has become “frustrated” with diplomacy because he’s not seeing “the kind of quick results that he likes to see”, Vaez says.