No one can dictate our path, Iran’s nuclear chief says

Negotiations are based on mutual give-and-take, but would be pointless if the United States aims to destroy Iran, said Mohammadreza Ahmadi Sangari, secretary of the Iranian parliament’s education and research committee.

Citing a remark by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—“Who is America to tell Iran not to enrich?”—Ahmadi said Iran alone will decide its level of enrichment and will not take orders from others.

An Iraqi interior ministry security source confirmed to Iran International that Tsurkov’s release will come in exchange for “several Iranian prisoners,” some of whom are convicted in Iraq of security-related offenses, including kidnapping and murder.

Tsurkov, a PhD student at Princeton University and fellow at the New Lines Institute, disappeared in March 2023 while conducting research in Iraq.

Israeli officials believe she is being held by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shi’ite militia. While the group has denied involvement, an Iraqi official told Israel’s Channel 11 that she was first detained by Iraq’s intelligence service—or by individuals impersonating officers—before being transferred to the militia.

Earlier on Saturday, Iraq’s Al Rabaa TV, which is aligned with Iranian-backed groups, reported that Tsurkov would be released in a deal involving one Iranian and six other individuals detained over attacks on US interests in Iraq.

Saudi-owned Al Hadath and other regional outlets said the agreement came after a senior Iraqi security official visited Washington, and that Tsurkov may first be sent to a neutral country before returning to Israel.

Who is the Iranian involved?

While no official comment has been made by Tehran, an Iraqi security source told Iran International that among those considered for the exchange is Mohammadreza Nouri, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.

Nouri was sentenced to life imprisonment in Iraq in September 2023 for orchestrating the murder of American citizen Stephen Troell in Baghdad in November 2022.

Troell, a Tennessee native and English teacher, was shot while driving through Baghdad’s Karrada district. According to US and Iraqi officials, Nouri, along with members of the Iran-aligned Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, attempted to kidnap Troell for ransom.

A militant group called Ashab al-Kahf later claimed responsibility, citing retaliation for the 2020 US drone strike that killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Iran’s judiciary official Kazem Gharibabadi has denied the charges against Nouri, calling him a "defender of the shrine"—a title Iran uses for personnel active in Syria.

Gharibabadi acknowledged that the US had requested Nouri’s extradition, but said Baghdad rejected the request. Although Iraq and Iran have an extradition treaty, Iraq did not transfer Nouri to Iran either.

Israeli officials had confirmed diplomatic efforts to secure Tsurkov’s release, with support from the United States and other allies. “We continue to seek her release through multiple channels,” an Israeli official told Ynet.

Tsurkov’s sister, Emma, said the family had no details about the reported deal but remained hopeful.

Meanwhile, a source close to Iraqi Shi'ite factions told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster that Kata’ib Hezbollah had not yet given final approval for Tsurkov’s release.

If done, this would mean a complex negotiation involving the Iraqi government, Iran-aligned militias, and indirect coordination with Israel and the US.

A US analyst has argued that demanding the full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program would not necessarily lead to war, countering concerns that such a hardline stance risks military conflict.

In an article published by The National Interest, Janatan Sayeh of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies wrote that Iran has historically avoided direct confrontation with the United States, even in response to high-stakes actions such as the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani.

Sayeh backed former President Donald Trump’s May 4 remarks calling for the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program as the end goal of any future deal. He said such an approach, coupled with continued economic pressure, could yield a durable diplomatic solution.

The article emphasizes that Iran’s responses have largely aimed to avoid triggering full-scale conflict, and urges Washington not to be deterred by what Sayeh called “alarmist predictions.”

A senior Iranian official has called for resistanceamid what he described as increasing Western pressure over Tehran’s nuclear program, warning that compromising on strategic technologies would undermine the country’s future independence.

Rasoul Sanaeirad, head of the political-ideological office of Iran’s Supreme Leader, said in remarks published by Iranian media on Saturday that Iran “has no choice but to stand firm” against adversaries who, he said, come to the negotiating table with threats and demands aimed at dismantling the country's nuclear capabilities.

“Our current dignity and future national interests depend on this resistance,” he said, warning that limitations on nuclear technology would harm Iran’s long-term sovereignty, just as restrictions are now being imposed globally on fossil fuel use.

Sanaeirad’s comments were made asIran commemorates the anniversary of the 1982 recapture of Khorramshahr, a key moment in the Iran–Iraq War seen domestically as a symbol of national resistance. The city, taken by Iraqi forces early in the conflict, was retaken by Iran during Operation Beitol-Moqaddas in what is considered a turning point in the war.

A former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoun Abbasi, said nuclear negotiations with the West are unlikely to yield results due to fundamental differences, particularly over Iran’s right to uranium enrichment.

“I never expected the negotiations to succeed,” Abbasi told Didban Iran, citing what he described as a wide gap between Western demands and Iran’s red lines on nuclear issues.

Abbasi, who is also a former lawmaker, asserted that Iran needs uranium enrichment at 20% and above to benefit from nuclear energy. He said enrichment is essential to meet Iran’s technical and strategic needs.

“The main issue Western countries have with us is not about enrichment levels, but the very principles of the Islamic Revolution,” he said. “They do not want to see an Iran that has undergone an Islamic Revolution emerge as a scientific, technical, and defense power.”

He accused the US and Europe of having a history of obstructing Iran’s advancement and of holding “excessive demands” in past negotiations.