Iran’s nuclear chief said on Tuesday that the country’s nuclear technology will not be restricted, despite demands from the United States and European powers to halt high-level uranium enrichment.
Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, speaking in Isfahan (Esfahan), home to the Natanz nuclear facility, said: "We must continue on the path of progress with effort and perseverance, and Iran's nuclear technology will never be restricted."
The Islamic Republic began violating the enrichment limits set by the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement after the United States withdrew from the accord in 2018. Following President Joe Biden’s election, Tehran announced an increase in uranium enrichment to 20% purity, later escalating to 60%, a level widely regarded as just short of the threshold needed for producing fissile material suitable for nuclear weapons.
Subsequent negotiations with the US and the European E3 countries — the UK, France, and Germany — failed to resolve key differences, revive the JCPOA, or establish a new agreement. As a result, Iran is now believed to possess enough 60% enriched uranium to produce 4 to 5 atomic bombs, should it choose to pursue nuclear weapons.
"Science and technology are considered key factors in creating power and authority," Eslami added, in spite of Iran's pursuit of nuclear power contributing to its isolation on the world stage.
"A country can maintain its independence and progress only if it pursues its development without reliance on others, especially the dominant global powers," he said.
This strategy, mainly directed against the West, has inflicted major harm on Iran’s economy, which now suffers from 50% annual inflation and a currency that has fallen 11,000-fold in the past 45 years.
Widespread energy shortages have forced the government to close offices, factories and schools in many provinces this week, while the country holds the second largest natural gas reserves in the world.
Iran’s nuclear program has cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue and economic growth due to 15 years of international and US-imposed sanctions.
With Donald Trump set to assume the presidency in the US, Tehran faces his “maximum pressure” policy, which includes stricter enforcement of sanctions and potentially additional restrictions.
"I have been entrusted with the project of determining Iran's position in the global order," Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's supreme national security council from 2013 to 2023, said in an interview with Nour News.
The Iranian outlet cited him as adding that he is the official ultimately responsible for the country's nuclear diplomacy dossier and sanctions.
The assertions appeared aimed at reviving the relevance of a figure whose hardline stance on engagement with outside powers has been criticized by relative moderates as Iran's geopolitical influence wanes and economy suffers.
Shamkhani defended legislation he is widely believed to have crafted in December 2020 to boost Iranian uranium enrichment up to 20% which was blamed for harming chances for reviving a lapsed nuclear deal just as relative dove Joe Biden took office.
"The Strategic Action Plan is not a bad law; it was proposed in response to Trump's pressures, and our nuclear achievements are owed to this law," Shamkhani said.
His remarks come as Iran faces a dilemma over whether to double down on a muscular military policy in the region which has taken a severe pounding from Israel or to re-engage the West its disputed nuclear as Donald Trump's return looms.
The influential former military figure has been under intense scrutiny lately over his family's sprawling business interests.
Shamkhani's interview seems to have backfired as critics linked to the Reform camp and the government of former President Hassan Rouhani have again criticized him as a cause of Iran's woes who has been enriched by dodging sanctions which plague the livelihoods of ordinary Iranians.
His comments appear to be a deliberate doubling down on hawkish policies despite mounting domestic and international woes.
“Hardline and aggressive agents chosen by #Trump, if they learned from the past, will have no choice but to opt for rationality and respect in the face of Iranians' strong will to continue #Resistance,” Shamkhani said in a post on X last month.
Shamkhani, formerly a rear admiral in the IRGC, has in recent years become widely known for his and his sons' roles as emerging oil tycoons. They have been implicated in circumventing US sanctions and selling the Islamic Republic's oil through the use of ghost fleets. The allegation of oil dealings became a widely publicized affair in international media in 2024.
Shamkhani’s reputation as a corrupt insider extends beyond his alleged involvement in dubious oil dealings. After the collapse of a high-rise building in Abadan in 2022, which resulted in the loss of dozens of lives, accusations emerged linking Shamkhani and his associates to financial corruption and the exploitation of his influence as a rear admiral. While Shamkhani denied the corruption allegations, Iranian media remained skeptical, citing substantial evidence that cast doubt on his claims of innocence.
Yet another damning controversy surrounding Shamkhani was the execution of one of his former aides Alireza Akbari for espionage. That also did not affect his influence within Tehran’s power structures. The political system dominated by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also turned a blind eye to Shamkhani's financial link to an IRGC-backed drug lord.
In the interview, Shamkhani criticized former presidents and claimed he had never voted for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hassan Rouhani, or Ebrahim Raisi. However, critics accused him of complicity in nearly every major decision made in Iran over the past 45 years, including significant financial scandals, while attempting to shift blame onto others.
Mohammad Heydari, managing editor of the Rouydad 24 News website in Tehran, noted that Shamkhani was an integral part of the administrations led by the very presidents he claims not to have voted for. As such, he bears responsibility for their actions and decisions.
Former Reformist MP Mahmoud Sadeghi in a video posted on X accused Shamkhani of being responsible for opening fire at protesters in major demonstrations since 2018. "We never forget and never forgive that."
In another post on X, Iranian political analyst Rouhollah Rahimpour argued that since Shamkhani claims to oversee Iran's nuclear dossier, he should be held accountable for the failures of past nuclear negotiations and possibly those in the future.
Bahram Parsaei, a member of the parliament from Shiraz wrote that Shamkhani has played a major part in the failure of the Rouhani administration and in the inclusion of Iran in the FATF blacklist, which significantly restricts Iran’s international banking and trade.
Although Shamkhani may have chosen to take part in that interview was to overshadow the controversy about his oil empire linked to his family, the decision could signal renewed political ambitions.
Shamkhani has made it clear more than once that he wishes to rise to the post of the security chief again, although Khamenei has so far demurred. Former President Hassan Rouhani has said that Khamenei was against Shamkhani's appointment as security chief in his government.