Iran’s Foreign Minister set firm conditions for any renewed talks with the United States, signaling that Tehran remains open to diplomacy but not without conditions, in a new interview with CBS News.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Department of State for comment
Why It Matters
The comments signal that Iran has not given up on the potential for diplomacy, but also that it has not been battered into submission by the Israeli strikes and the U.S. attacks on its nuclear program. President Donald Trump has denied making any offers to Iran or engaging in talks following U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tehran has been taking a toughened line, signaling its intent to reduce cooperation with U.N. inspectors and saying it has relocated key nuclear activities. That raises the prospect of toughened economic sanctions and potentially more military action.
What To Know
“In order for us to decide to reengage, we will have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations,” Araghchi told CBS News.
“And I think with all these considerations, we still need more time,” he said, adding that “the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”
Trump said he had halted all efforts toward sanctions relief and other proposed measures, citing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s “victory statement” after the ceasefire with Israel. Trump described the statements as full of “anger, hatred, and disgust.” He added that the remarks led him to abandon any diplomatic overtures under consideration.
The U.S. and Iran had been set for a fifth round of nuclear talks when Israeli launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board passed a resolution declaring Iran in violation of its nuclear obligations.
Tehran had already cast doubt on the prospect of a deal with Washington, rejecting U.S. demands that it stop all enrichment of uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. After the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last week, Tehran said the U.S. could not be trusted. Iran says its nuclear program has only peaceful goals.
What People Are Saying
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in interview with CBS News: “One cannot obliterate the technology and science for enrichment through bombings. If there is this will on our part, and the will exists in order to once again make progress in this industry, we will be able to expeditiously repair the damages and make up for the lost time.”
President Donald Trump on Truth Social, June 30: “Tell phony Democrat Senator Chris Coons that I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike Obama, who paid them $Billions under the stupid “road to a Nuclear Weapon JCPOA (which would now be expired!), nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities.”
What Happens Next
Contacts are likely to continue behind the scenes on potential talks, but if those do not materialise it increases the risk of further economic sanctions on Iran if not military strikes if it seeks to rebuild its nuclear program and rocket launching capabilities.
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