NEW YORK - Iran will not make concessions on key elements of its nuclear program even if the United States accepts Tehran's proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official told Reuters Friday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Iran would show no flexibility over what Tehran considers its nuclear rights, including uranium enrichment.
The official also ruled out sending Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium outside the country, one of Washington's demands in negotiations.
The comments underscore the substantial differences that remain between Washington and Tehran even as the two sides continue exploring a negotiated end to their seven-month conflict.
They do not represent an announced breakdown in negotiations, and neither government announced a new military escalation in connection with the statement.
Hormuz remains central to negotiations
The Strait of Hormuz has become one of Iran's most important bargaining tools in negotiations with the United States.
Iran has proposed reopening the strategically important waterway as part of a broader seven-day plan aimed at reducing hostilities across the Middle East.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that under Tehran's proposal, the United States would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive sanctions affecting Iranian oil sales.
Hostilities on other fronts, including Lebanon, would also end under the proposal.
Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway is one of the world's most important energy corridors and has faced severe disruption during the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Iran says all conditions must be met
The senior Iranian official told Reuters Friday that the strait would remain closed until the United States satisfies all of Tehran's conditions.
That position indicates Iran does not view reopening Hormuz as a standalone agreement separate from its broader economic and security demands.
Washington has sought restored freedom of navigation through the strait while maintaining pressure on Iran's government and nuclear program.
Tehran has argued that it should not be expected to restore normal commercial traffic while Iranian ports and oil exports remain subject to U.S. restrictions.
Nuclear dispute remains unresolved
Iran says it is prepared to enter detailed negotiations over its nuclear program after its broader conditions are met.
However, Friday's comments indicate Tehran is drawing limits around what it would consider negotiable.
The senior official specifically identified Iran's ability to enrich uranium as a right Tehran does not intend to surrender.
The official also rejected the possibility of shipping Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad.
Iranian authorities have separately indicated that Tehran could consider diluting its most highly enriched uranium inside Iran.
That would be different from transferring the material out of the country.
Iran has enriched uranium to 60% purity, substantially above levels typically used for civilian nuclear power and closer to weapons-grade levels.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful and denies seeking a nuclear weapon.
The United States, Israel and other Western governments have repeatedly expressed concern about Iran's enrichment activities and the size of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Stockpile remains an important issue
The International Atomic Energy Agency estimated that Iran possessed approximately 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% before U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Reuters reports that the current status of that material remains unclear following attacks on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
The fate of the stockpile has therefore become one of the major unresolved issues in negotiations.
Washington has sought restrictions intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Tehran insists that any agreement must preserve what it considers its rights under international nuclear agreements.
Pezeshkian continues to express hope for agreement
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that he hoped an agreement ending hostilities could be reached before the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3.
His comments indicate Tehran continues to publicly leave the door open to diplomacy despite the hard line described Friday on nuclear concessions.
The United States and Iran resumed indirect diplomatic contacts through mediators during the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Those exchanges marked the first reported contacts between the two governments in months.
No comprehensive agreement has emerged from those discussions.
Major divide remains
Friday's statement demonstrates that progress on the Strait of Hormuz would not necessarily resolve the nuclear dispute between Washington and Tehran.
Iran is treating the reopening of the waterway, U.S. economic restrictions, regional hostilities and nuclear negotiations as connected but distinct issues.
Washington has likewise maintained separate demands involving Iran's nuclear activities.
That leaves the two sides with significant disagreements even if they can reach preliminary understandings on shipping or regional military activity.
What happens next
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington satisfies all of the conditions contained in Tehran's proposal.
If those conditions are met, Iranian officials say detailed negotiations on the nuclear issue could follow.
There is currently no announced agreement on the strait, Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief or an end to the broader conflict.
The latest Iranian position therefore represents a significant clarification of Tehran's negotiating limits rather than a confirmed collapse of diplomacy.