Amoli Larijani Considered the Reduction of Centrifuges as a Sign of Nuclear Retreat

Sadeq Amoli Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, criticized the West's demand for a reduction in Iran's centrifuges on Wednesday, December 5, emphasizing that accepting this demand would signify a nuclear retreat. The recent nuclear negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 group, which had intensified in the days leading up to the deadline for reaching a comprehensive agreement, did not yield a satisfactory outcome for either side, leading to a decision to extend the negotiations for another seven months. Mr. Larijani accused the U.S. and the West of obstructing the achievement of a comprehensive nuclear agreement with their 'excessive demands.' According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), the head of the judiciary stated, 'The bullying attitude of the West, especially the U.S., has been present at all stages and paths of the negotiations; at some stages they said to have 500 centrifuges, then they said to have 1,000 or 2,000 centrifuges, and unfortunately, some inside also collaborated with this Western bullying.' Previously, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly quoted Abbas Araqchi, Iran's chief negotiator, as saying that the U.S. only agrees to four thousand active centrifuges in Iran. U.S. officials have not confirmed or denied these statements, but Sadeq Larijani asserts that Iran should not concede to a reduction in centrifuges. He stated, 'Retreating from the nuclear rights of the nation is essentially a retreat from the dignity and independence of the Iranian people, and reducing the number of centrifuges is not merely a material retreat, but has many spiritual implications related to the dignity, greatness, independence, and self-confidence of the Iranian people.' According to him, what the West has proposed in the nuclear negotiations with Iran is 'excessive demands,' and accepting it would be akin to ceding part of the country's territory. Iranian officials have previously confirmed the existence of 20,000 centrifuges in the country, of which about 10,000 are active.