• “Zero enrichment” is unacceptable, says Iran’s FM
• Recognising Iran’s right to enrich is key: Araqchi
• Iran open to talks on enrichment “level and purity”: diplomat

DUBAI: Recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium is key for nuclear talks with the US to succeed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday.

American and Iranian diplomats held indirect talks in Oman on Friday, aimed at reviving diplomacy amid a US naval buildup near Iran and Tehran’s vows of a harsh response if attacked.

“Zero enrichment can never be accepted by us. Hence, we need to focus on discussions that accept enrichment inside Iran while building trust that enrichment is and will stay for peaceful purposes,” Araqchi said.

Iran and the US held five rounds of nuclear talks last year, which stalled mainly due to disagreements over uranium enrichment inside Iran. In June, the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities at the end of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign.

Tehran has since said it has halted enrichment activity, which the US views as a possible pathway to nuclear bombs. Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.

A diplomat in the region briefed by Iran told Reuters on Friday that Tehran was open to discussing the “level and purity” of enrichment as well as other arrangements, as long as it was allowed to enrich uranium on its soil and would be granted sanctions relief in addition to military de-escalation.

“Iran’s insistence on enrichment is not merely technical or economic (…) it is rooted in a desire for independence and dignity,” Araqchi said. “No one has the right to tell the Iranian nation what it should or should not have.”

The minister also said that Iran’s missile programme, which the US would like to include in negotiations, had never been part of the agenda.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on Sunday that talks with the US were a “step forward” and that Tehran wanted its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be respected.

The date and venue of the next round of talks will be determined in consultation with Oman and might not be Muscat, Araqchi said.

China has strongly condemned the deadly attack on an imambargah and mosque in Islamabad, reaffirming its support for Pakistan’s efforts to maintain national security and stability.

In a statement issued on Sunday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it was deeply shocked by the explosion and the resulting loss of life. The ministry expressed condolences to the families of the victims and sympathy for those injured in the attack.

“China strongly condemns the attack, opposes all forms of terrorism, and firmly supports the Pakistani government in safeguarding national security and stability and protecting the safety of the people,” the statement said.

The condemnation followed the suicide attack at Imambargah and Mosque Khadijat-ul-Kubra in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers, which left at least 33 people dead and dozens injured.

According to investigators, the suicide bomber opened fire before detonating himself at the entrance of the imambargah. Authorities said the suspected attacker’s identity card was recovered from the blast site, identifying him as Yasir, 32, a resident of Peshawar, based on records from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Investigators said the attacker had been living in Afghanistan for the past five months, where he reportedly received training in the use of weapons and suicide bombing.

Four Kilograms of Explosives Used

Investigations into the attack are ongoing, with officials revealing further details. According to sources, the attacker fired two shots along the way and six more inside the hall before detonating the explosive device.

Sources said approximately four kilograms of explosive material were used in the attack, and the suicide jacket contained a large number of ball bearings. The attacker allegedly wore the suicide vest in Nowshera and travelled to Islamabad via public transport.

Investigators said he briefly stayed at a nearby hotel before walking to the mosque from Khanna Road. Authorities also revealed that the attacker conducted reconnaissance of the mosque on February 2.

Officials added that the suspect had travelled to Afghanistan in May and returned in June, after which he activated a new mobile SIM card in Bajaur.

Mastermind, Facilitators Arrested

A day earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that the mastermind of the attack, linked to the banned militant group Daesh, had been taken into custody along with the attacker’s facilitators.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the interior minister said the mastermind and facilitators were arrested in raids carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Peshawar and Nowshera districts shortly after the blast.

He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter Terrorism Department, along with other security agencies, conducted the operations jointly. During the raids, one police officer was martyred while several others sustained injuries, he added.

BEIJING: An explosion at a biotech factory in northern China has killed eight people, Chinese state media reported Sunday, increasing the total number of fatalities by one.

State news agency Xinhua had previously reported that seven people died and one person was missing after the Saturday morning explosion at the Jiapeng biotech company in Shanxi province, citing local authorities.

Later, Xinhua said eight were dead, adding that the firm´s legal representative had been taken into custody.

The company is located in Shanyin County, about 400 kilometres west of Beijing.

Xinhua said clean-up operations were ongoing, noting that reporters observed dark yellow smoke emanating from the site of the explosion.

Authorities have established a team to investigate the cause of the blast, the report added.

In late January, an explosion at a steel factory in the neighbouring province of Inner Mongolia left at least nine people dead.