Iran will never surrender the right to enrich uranium, even if war “is imposed on us”, its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Sunday, defying pressure from Washington.

“Iran has paid a very heavy price for its peaceful nuclear programme and for uranium enrichment,” Abbas Araghchi told a forum in Tehran.

“Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behaviour,” he said, two days after he met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman.

Araghchi also said he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack.

According to excerpts published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Araghchi said that Iran’s missile programme was “never negotiable” in Friday’s talks in Oman.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to raise the ballistic missiles programme in a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.

Araghchi, meanwhile, warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if the US attacked Iranian territory.

It came as lead Iran negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, signalling the persistent threat of US military action.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said the two top officials visited the nuclear-powered vessel in a post on social media.

In his own social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group were “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength”.

Araghchi on Saturday said that despite the talks in Muscat being indirect, “an opportunity arose to shake hands with the American delegation”.

He called the talks “a good start”, but insisted “there is a long way to go to build trust”. He said the talks would resume “soon”.

Trump on Friday called the talks “very good”, and pledged another round of negotiations next week.

Despite this, he signed an executive order effective from Saturday that called for the “imposition of tariffs” on countries still doing business with Iran.

The United States also announced new sanctions against numerous shipping entities and vessels, aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports.

More than a quarter of Iran’s trade is with China, with $18 billion in imports and $14.5 billion in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organization data.

Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, will open consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, in a strong show of support for the local government.

Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons.

Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.

A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic, but details have not been made public.

While Denmark and Greenland have said they share Trump’s security concerns, they have insisted that sovereignty and territorial integrity are a “red line” in the discussions.

“In a sense, it’s a victory for Greenlanders to see two allies opening diplomatic representations in Nuuk,” said Jeppe Strandsbjerg, a political scientist at the University of Greenland.

“There is great appreciation for the support against what Trump has said.”

French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to open a consulate during a visit to Nuuk in June, where he expressed Europe’s “solidarity” with Greenland and criticised Trump’s ambitions.

The French consul, Jean-Noel Poirier, has previously served as ambassador to Vietnam.

“The first item on the agenda will be to listen to Greenlanders, to hear them, to let them explain in detail their position, and from our side to confirm to them our support, as much as they and the Danish side want,” Poirier told AFP before leaving Copenhagen for Nuuk.

Canada announced in late 2024 that it would open a consulate in Greenland to boost cooperation.

That decision “came as Canada was choosing to strengthen its Arctic strategy when Trump’s return was expected,” French researcher and Arctic expert Mikaa Blugeon-Mered told AFP.

The opening of the consulates is “a way of telling Donald Trump that his aggression against Greenland and Denmark is not a question for Greenland and Denmark alone; it’s also a question for European allies and also for Canada as an ally, as a friend of Greenland and the European allies also,” Ulrik Pram Gad, Arctic expert at the Danish Institute of International Studies, told AFP.

“It’s a small step, part of a strategy where we are making this problem European,” said Christine Nissen, security and defence analyst at the Europa think tank.

“The consequences are obviously not just Danish. It’s European and global.”

According to Strandsbjerg, the two consulates — which will report to the French and Canadian embassies in Copenhagen — will give Greenland an opportunity to “practise” at being independent, as the island has long dreamt of cutting its ties to Denmark.

The decision to open diplomatic missions is also a recognition of Greenland’s growing autonomy, laid out in its 2009 Self-Government Act, Nissen said.

“In terms of their own quest for sovereignty, the Greenlandic people will think to have more direct contact with other European countries,” she said.

That would make it possible to reduce Denmark’s role “by diversifying Greenland’s dependence on the outside world so that it is not solely dependent on Denmark and can have more ties for its economy, trade, investments, politics and so on,” echoed Pram Gad.

Greenland has had diplomatic ties with the European Union since 1992, with Washington since 2014 and with Iceland since 2017.

Iceland opened a consulate in Nuuk in 2013, while the United States, which had a consulate in the Greenlandic capital from 1940 to 1953, reopened its mission in 2020.

The European Commission opened an office in 2024.

AFP

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has stirred fresh debate on social media after lending his voice to the long-standing argument that money alone does not guarantee happiness.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive shared the view in a brief post on Wednesday, writing, “Whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about.”

The comment quickly attracted attention, with many readers interpreting it as a rare reflection on the emotional limits of immense wealth.

Within hours, the post had amassed more than 33 million views and over 245,000 likes, sparking extensive discussion about whether financial success automatically translates into personal well-being.

In Nigeria, the statement drew cultural parallels, particularly to Adekunle Gold’s 2021 song It Is What It Is, in which the singer reflects on the realization that wealth does not necessarily bring fulfillment.

The lyrics echo a similar sentiment about the gap between financial gain and emotional satisfaction.

Reactions online were sharply divided. Some users agreed with Musk, arguing that while money may ease hardship, it does not eliminate emotional struggles.

One commenter noted that money may not buy happiness but can make difficult circumstances more bearable. Others strongly disagreed, pointing to the psychological strain of poverty and financial insecurity.

Several responses questioned Musk’s perspective given his extraordinary wealth, with some suggesting that even a fraction of his fortune would dramatically improve their lives.

Faith-based opinions also emerged, with commenters arguing that true fulfillment comes from spiritual values rather than material possessions.