The United States and Iran clashed at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, trading accusations over whether stalled nuclear talks can be revived.

Washington said it is prepared to return to negotiations, but only on its terms. Tehran responded by rejecting those conditions outright, accusing the United States of bad faith and political coercion.

“The United States remains available for formal talks with Iran, but only if Tehran is prepared for direct and meaningful dialogue,” Morgan Ortagus, President Trump’s deputy Middle East envoy, told the council. She made clear that Washington’s red line remains unchanged. “Foremost, there can be no enrichment inside of Iran, and that remains our principle.”

Iran immediately pushed back, saying that demand alone makes genuine diplomacy impossible.

Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused Washington of attempting to impose a dictated outcome rather than negotiate. “We appreciate any fair and meaningful negotiation, but insisting on zero enrichment policy is contrary to our rights as a member of the NPT,” Iravani said, referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “It means they are not pursuing fair negotiation.”

“They want to dictate their predetermined intention on Iran,” he added. “Iran will not bow down to any pressure and intimidation.”

The confrontation comes against the backdrop of the 12-day war in June. The U.S. and Iran had completed five rounds of nuclear talks before the war erupted between Israel and Iran. The United States later joined the conflict directly, striking Iranian nuclear facilities—an intervention that effectively froze diplomacy and hardened positions on both sides.

At the heart of the dispute is uranium enrichment. Western powers argue that allowing Iran to enrich uranium on its own soil leaves too narrow a gap between civilian nuclear activity and weapons capability. Tehran, however, has long treated enrichment as a sovereign right and a political red line, insisting its nuclear program is peaceful and denying any intention to build a bomb.

Since the war, pressure on Iran has intensified. In late September, the United Nations reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions after Britain, France, and Germany triggered the so-called “snapback” mechanism, accusing Iran of breaching the 2015 nuclear deal. Russia and China condemned the move, arguing that the sanctions mechanism was no longer valid.

That disagreement spilled into Tuesday’s meeting itself. Britain, France, the United States, Denmark, Greece, Slovenia, and South Korea requested the Security Council briefing. Russia and China objected, claiming that all provisions of the 2015 deal’s Security Council resolution expired on October 18. The meeting went ahead anyway.

The 2015 agreement—enshrined in a Security Council resolution—was designed to block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. The council has convened twice a year since to review its implementation. But after years of violations, withdrawals, and now open military confrontation, diplomats acknowledge that framework is barely intact.

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