The United States and Iran engaged in a sharp exchange at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday over the conditions for reviving stalled nuclear negotiations, with both sides reaffirming their divergent positions and diplomatic stances.

Addressing the council, the United States — represented by Morgan Ortagus, the deputy U.S. envoy for the Middle East — reiterated that Washington remains prepared for direct negotiations with Tehran, but only if Iran is willing to engage in “meaningful dialogue” and meet clear conditions.

Central to the U.S. position is a demand that Iran end all uranium enrichment within its borders, a measure Washington and its allies argue is necessary to reduce the risk of nuclear weaponisation.

“The United States remains available for formal talks with Iran, but only if Tehran is prepared for direct and meaningful dialogue,” Ortagus said, stressing that the elimination of enrichment on Iranian soil remains a principal expectation for any renewed negotiations.

Iran’s delegation, led by Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, strongly rejected the U.S. conditions, asserting that Washington’s insistence on a zero uranium enrichment policy undermines the potential for fair negotiations and contradicts Iran’s rights under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful and that efforts to impose such conditions amount to political coercion rather than genuine dialogue.

“They want to dictate their predetermined intention on Iran.

Iran will not bow down to any pressure and intimidation,” Iravani said.

The session marked one of the most public confrontations since indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran faltered earlier in the year.

Five rounds of negotiations were held before a June conflict between Iran and Israel — during which the United States participated in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites — effectively derailed further progress.

Debates over Iran’s uranium enrichment and verification measures have remained the most significant obstacles to reviving a comprehensive nuclear agreement.

The United Nations also recently reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran’s nuclear programme through a “snapback” mechanism triggered by several European members of the Security Council.

While Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and claims its nuclear work is for civilian energy purposes, the United States and its partners argue that stringent conditions are necessary for any credible talk of resuming formal diplomacy and restoring broader confidence in a diplomatic accord.