TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, indicated on Saturday that Iran is open to resuming nuclear negotiations with the US, provided guarantees are given that no further attacks against Iran will take place.
In a speech to foreign diplomats in Tehran, he emphasized that Iran has always been willing and continues to be willing to discuss its nuclear program, but guarantees are needed that these talks do not escalate into war.
Araghchi referred to the 12 days of Israeli bombings on Iranian nuclear and military sites, and the US attack on June 22. He stated that if the US and other countries want to resume talks, a firm guarantee must first be provided that such attacks will not be repeated. According to him, the attacks have made it more difficult to reach a solution through negotiations.
After these attacks, Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, which led to the departure of inspectors. Araghchi explained that Iran, under its laws, will in principle respond on a case-by-case basis to requests for cooperation, depending on national interests. Inspections must be conducted with regard to safety and ensuring that inspectors are not put in danger. He stressed that there is a risk of proliferation of radioactive material and explosives from the destroyed sites, which is dangerous for the region.
Iran also reiterated its position that it must continue uranium enrichment on its own soil. This often conflicts with US President Donald Trump, who saw no support for it. Israel claims it carried out attacks because Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. US intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency estimate that Iran has not developed organized nuclear weapons since 2003, although Iran has enriched uranium up to 60%, nearly at the warhead grade (90%). Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recently said in an interview that the US attacks have caused so much damage to the nuclear facilities that Iran has not yet been able to assess the extent of the destruction. (The Gleaner)