DUBAI: Iran said on Tuesday the path to nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States is not closed but US demands for curbs on Iranian ballistic and hypersonic missiles are obstructing prospects for talks.

A sixth round of Iran-US talks was suspended after Israel and the US struck Iranian military and nuc­lear facilities and Iran ret­aliated with waves of ballistic and hypersonic missiles against Israel.

“We indeed pursue rat­ional negotiations. By raising issues such as missile restrictions, they set a path that negates any talks,” the secretary of Iran’s Sup­reme National Sec­­­urity Cou­­ncil, Ali Lar­ijani, said in a post on X.

Western countries cla­im Iran’s uranium enrichm­ent programme could yield material for an atomic warhead and that it seeks to develop a ballistic missile to carry one.

Iran says its nuclear programme is only for ele­ctricity generation and other civilian uses and that it is enriching uranium as fuel for these purposes.

It has denied seeking to create missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads and says its defence capabilities cannot be open to negotiation in any talks over its atomic programme.

Larijani’s comments follow last week’s launch by France, Germany and Bri­tain of a “snapback mechanism” that could re-impose UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

The three countries have urged Iran to engage in nuclear negotiations with the US, among other conditions, in order to have the imposition of the snapback sanctions delayed for six months.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2025