Senior cleric says Iran will not halt enrichment, despite US stance

A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that Tehran has submitted its demands in writing three times during indirect nuclear negotiations but has yet to receive a response from the other side.

“We have submitted our demands to the other side in writing three times, but we have not received any response so far,” Ahmad Motahhari Asl, Friday prayer Imam of Tabriz, said during his weekly sermon, according to the state-affiliated ISNA news agency.

Motahhari emphasized that talks are limited to nuclear issues, adding that Iran will not negotiate over its regional or defense policies.

US Congressman Mike Lawler said on Friday that leaders in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are open to the Trump administration’s push for a new nuclear agreement with Iran, but remain skeptical that Tehran will dismantle its program.

Lawler, a Republican from New York, returned from meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Jordanian King Abdullah II. He told Jewish Insider that regional officials expressed cautious optimism about negotiations but were realistic about the challenges, citing Iran’s past behavior in previous rounds of talks.

“I think folks are realistic about the prospects of Iran coming to an agreement,” Lawler said, adding that regional leaders are interested in avoiding conflict but remain firm in the view that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.

Lawler, who has sponsored multiple Iran-related sanctions bills in the House of Representatives, said his focus remains on maintaining pressure on Tehran. He also noted that any future sanctions relief should be conditional on Iran ending its support for terrorism and other destabilizing activities.

The congressman said he believes the Trump administration would support a coordinated response with Israel if negotiations fail, although he emphasized that diplomacy remains the preferred course at this stage.

A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that uranium enrichment in Iran has continued and will continue “to spite the enemy,” insisting the country’s nuclear program is a national right.

“Worrying about Iran having a nuclear bomb is not what’s troubling Trump, because he knows we don’t have one — not out of fear, but because weapons of mass destruction have no place in our religion,” said Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer Imam in Tehran, according to remarks reported by ISNA.

“They are worried about nuclear technology,” he said. “But this technology has been indigenized in Iran, and we have enriched uranium inside the country as needed — and we continue to do so.”

Khatami rejected calls to curb the nuclear program, saying: “To spite the enemy, we have enriched and we are enriching. It is a gross mistake to say enrichment should not happen in Iran. Nuclear energy is our absolute right.”

He also warned foreign critics to “watch their words,” and said enemies of Iran “can’t do a damn thing.”

A classified Israeli government assessment has warned that an attack on Iran could trigger a wave of heavy missile fire on Israel and lead to a temporary shutdown of the economy, Israeli media reported on Friday.

A recent closed-door meeting involving several government departments reviewed national preparedness for a potential Israeli strike on Iran or an Iranian strike on Israel, according to a report by Maariv columnist Ben Caspit. The scenario discussed assumed the possibility of hostilities breaking out without significant prior warning.

Participants were told that in the event of an Israeli strike on Iran, thousands of missiles—some weighing as much as 700 kilograms—could be launched at Israeli territory. The opening days of such a conflict would likely see the economy halted for between two and four days, with a shift to emergency operations thereafter.

Preparations outlined in the meeting reportedly included the immediate activation of over 10,000 public shelters, readiness of evacuation zones, expansion of hospital capacity, and measures by the Home Front Command to manage civilian response and infrastructure needs.

The duration of such a conflict remains uncertain, according to the internal estimates cited in the report.

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told senior officers in closed discussions that securing a hostage deal with Hamas would not only be a moral obligation but could also enable Israel to shift greater military focus toward the Iranian threat, Israeli broadcaster N12 reported on Friday.

Zamir said the release of hostages would allow the military to redirect attention to Iran, particularly in light of ongoing nuclear talks and contingency planning if diplomacy fails, according to two unnamed sources cited in the report.

The comments come as Hamas reviews Israel’s latest response to a US-backed proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters on Friday that while the group is examining the reply thoroughly, it "fails to meet any of the Palestinian just and legitimate demands."