Iran Rejects Missile Talks as 60-Day US-Iran Negotiation Window Opens

Iran has rejected any discussion of its ballistic missile programme as a 60-day formal negotiation window with the United States opened under a newly signed memorandum of understanding. In a briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran's defensive capabilities were not negotiable and would not be part of talks with any party. He also ruled out proposals to move Iran's enriched nuclear material outside the country.

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Baghaei said the missile programme and broader defence capabilities would not be discussed "in any process, with any party," and described the missiles as intended for use rather than negotiation. His comments came as the two sides entered the new negotiation period under the memorandum, which was signed in Persian and English to avoid later disputes over interpretation. The spokesman also said that while diluting enriched uranium had been mentioned as one possible option, transferring enriched material abroad was unacceptable.

The remarks underline the immediate limits Tehran is placing on the talks at a sensitive moment in the wider nuclear dispute. The missile issue has long been one of the main points of contention between Washington and Tehran, with the United States previously saying any meaningful agreement would need to address the range of Iran's ballistic missiles. Iranian officials, however, have repeatedly treated missile and defence capabilities as off-limits in negotiations.

The latest position is consistent with comments made earlier this year by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Iran's defensive and missile capabilities would never be the subject of negotiations. That stance has been reiterated in subsequent rounds of diplomacy, suggesting Tehran is seeking to preserve what it sees as core security red lines while still keeping a diplomatic channel open. The opening of the 60-day window gives the process a formal structure, but the public statements show how narrow the room for compromise may be.

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The nuclear material question is also significant because it goes to the practical mechanics of any deal. Proposals to dilute or relocate enriched uranium are often discussed in efforts to reduce proliferation risk, but Baghaei's rejection of moving material outside Iran indicates that such ideas are unlikely to gain traction quickly. The fact that the memorandum was signed in both languages suggests both sides are trying to avoid procedural disputes even as substantive disagreements remain.

What happens next will depend on whether the two sides can narrow the gap on the most sensitive issues without turning the talks into a broader confrontation over missiles and defence policy. It remains unclear whether the 60-day process will produce any agreed framework, or whether the current exchange will harden positions early in the negotiations. For now, the main watchpoint is whether the parties can keep the dialogue moving while leaving Iran's missile programme and nuclear material arrangements unresolved.

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